Death Penalty Use Rose Alarmingly in 2025 Despite Global Trend

Only in exceptional circumstances and with incontrovertible evidence of intentional murder does international law permit the death penalty. (file)

Despite a global downward trend in the use of the death penalty, 2025 saw an ‘alarming’ increase in executions in a small number of retentionist countries, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) warned on Monday.

The UN advocates for the universal abolition of the death penalty. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by 175 countries, protects the right to life and stipulates that, for countries that have not abolished capital punishment, it should be imposed only for the “most serious crimes” in exceptional cases.

OHCHR said the sharp increase in capital punishment last year was driven by executions for drug-related offences, crimes committed by children, and acts not meeting the threshold of “most serious crimes.”

“The death penalty is not an effective crime-control tool, and it can lead to the execution of innocent people,” said Volker Türk, UN Commissioner for Human Rights. “In practice, the death penalty is also often applied arbitrarily and discriminatorily, in violation of fundamental principles of equality before the law.”

Geography of Death

OHCHR’s monitoring shows that no single region dominates capital punishment.

Iran: At least 1,500 people were executed in 2025, with around 47% related to drug offences.

Israel: Legislative proposals are seeking to expand the death penalty, potentially applying exclusively to Palestinians.

Saudi Arabia: Executions rose to at least 356, surpassing the 2024 record, with 78% linked to drug offences.

Afghanistan: Public executions continued in breach of international law.

United States: 47 inmates were executed, the highest in 16 years.

Somalia: At least 24 executed; Singapore: 17 executed.

Encouraging Steps

Several countries also took “encouraging steps” to limit capital punishment.

Vietnam: Reduced the number of offences punishable by death.

Pakistan: Removed two non-lethal capital offences but retained 29.

Zimbabwe: Abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes on 31 December 2024.

Kenya: Initiated a legislative review of capital punishment.

Malaysia: Resentencing reduced the number at risk of execution by over 1,000.

Kyrgyzstan: Constitutional Court reaffirmed the prohibition of the death penalty.

So far, 170 countries have abolished or introduced a moratorium on the death penalty, either in law or in practice.