What's happened
Amnesty International has confirmed 2,707 executions worldwide in 2025, with Iran accounting for 2,159 of them—an all-time high in Iran and the largest share globally since 1981. Rights groups say the rise follows political repression, protests, and regional conflict, while data from China remains excluded due to state secrecy.
What's behind the headline?
What this means for readers
- Iran has dramatically increased executions in 2025, constituting the highest figure since 1981. This is presented as a tool of political repression and control by authorities.
- The global total rose by more than two-thirds from 2024, with regional trends showing tighter civic spaces in several countries.
- China’s data remains opaque, making global comparisons incomplete.
Implications
- The trend suggests governments are using the death penalty to quell protests and dissent, potentially raising international human-rights concerns.
- The U.S. total includes an uptick driven by Florida, reaching 47 for the year—the highest since 2009 in the country.
- As long as authorities restrict civic space, Amnesty’s global tallies may continue to be incomplete, especially for major executioners.
What to watch
- How Iran’s internal protests and external conflicts influence executions in 2026.
- Any changes in international pressure or sanctions related to death-penalty practices.
How we got here
Amnesty International has long tracked the death penalty and notes that its totals exclude China due to access restrictions. In 2025, executions surged in Iran after heightened political repression and the June 2025 war with Israel. Other countries with notable totals include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Yemen, and the United States.
Our analysis
Amnesty International has issued the primary report, cited by outlets including NY Post, France 24, Arab News, and The New Arab. All stress that China’s data is excluded due to state secrecy, while Iran’s 2025 total stands at 2,159 executions.
Go deeper
- Why has Iran’s execution rate surged in 2025-26?
- Which countries have seen the sharpest rise besides Iran?
- How reliable are these tallies given data gaps in China?
More on these topics
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Amnesty International - Non-governmental organization
Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization with its headquarters in the United Kingdom focused on human rights. The organization says it has more than eight million members and supporters around the world.
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Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran) - Country in the Middle East
Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a
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Saudi Arabia - Country in the Middle East
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is a country in Western Asia constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula.
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United States - Country in North America
The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.