Death penalty: 2,707 executions worldwide in 2025, a record for over 40 years

The year 2025 marks a dark turning point in the application of the death penalty worldwide. Amnesty International has recorded 2,707 executions carried out by authorities in 17 countries, the highest number recorded by the organization since it began compiling this data in 1981. This surge represents a dramatic 78% increase compared to the previous year, reflecting a global hardening of repressive policies in several states.

Iran is responsible for 80% of the executions

Iran alone accounts for nearly 80% of the executions recorded by the NGO, confirming its status as the world's leading user of the death penalty. This overwhelming proportion underscores the intensification of Tehran's repressive practices, which rely heavily on capital punishment as an instrument of political and social control. Human rights organizations are expressing growing concern about this trend, which contradicts the abolitionist movement observed in other parts of the world.

The latest available figures reveal that only 17 countries carried out executions in 2025, a minority globally, but one whose practices significantly skew the overall statistics. This annual report from Amnesty International reignites the debate on the use of the death penalty and highlights the growing divide between states that maintain this practice and those that have abolished it.