US executions hit 15-year high as numbers sharply rise
The US carried out 47 executions in 2025, the highest number in over 15 years, reversing two decades of decline.
After two decades of decline, executions in the United States have surged. Last year saw 47 people executed, the highest number since before 2010.
So far in 2026, another 31 have been carried out. Capital punishment remains deeply divisive in America.
Some states abolished the death penalty more than a century ago. Others still use it.
Florida has driven much of the recent increase. It carried out 19 executions in 2025 alone.
That's 40 per cent of the year's total. Recent controversies have sparked new debate about how the US carries out death sentences.
A failed execution in Tennessee drew criticism. A proposal to broadcast a military execution also drew criticism.
- 47
- Executions in 2025
- 19
- Florida executions in 2025
- 31
- Executions in 2026 so far
- more than 15 years
- Highest number in
Why it mattersThe shift reflects changing American politics around crime and punishment. But public support for capital punishment has declined over recent decades.
AustraliaNo direct Australian impact, though the trend reflects broader shifts in US criminal justice policy that Australia occasionally influences its own debate.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
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