Blood Record: Iran Executed More People in 2025 Than at Any Point Since 1981
A sweeping new report reveals that global executions surged to their highest level in 44 years, with Iran accounting for nearly eight in every ten deaths recorded worldwide.
Amnesty International published a concerning report today. At least 2,707 people were executed around the world in 2025, a rise of 78% compared to 1,518 the previous year, the highest figure recorded since 1981. And behind that historic spike stands one country above all others.
Iran put to death over 2,150 people last year, a figure more than double that of 2024. Of the 2,707 confirmed executions recorded globally, 2,159 took place in Iran, meaning the Islamic Republic was responsible for nearly 80% of all known executions on earth.
Amnesty described the figure as the highest recorded in Iran since 1981, and the highest globally since that year.
A Weapon of Political Control
Amnesty did not mince words about what is driving the surge. The organization said the "staggering increase in recorded executions in Iran" came as authorities intensified their use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression and control, particularly in the wake of the June 2025 war with Israel.
Senior Iranian officials, including the head of the judiciary, called for expedited trials and executions for anyone deemed to be "supporting" or "collaborating" with hostile states, including Israel. Revolutionary Courts, which handle national security and drug-related offenses and have long been criticized for denying defendants their fair trial rights, have been central to carrying out that mandate.
Rights groups have warned that the trend is accelerating into 2026, with executions continuing on charges linked to the January protests and membership of banned organizations.
A Global Picture of Rising State Violence
Iran may dominate the figures, but Amnesty's report paints a troubling picture well beyond Tehran. Saudi Arabia carried out at least 356 executions last year, surpassing its own already record-high figure from 2024. Kuwait nearly tripled its count, from six to 17. Egypt almost doubled its total, from 13 to 23. Yemen's figure rose by more than a third.
In the West, the United States stood out as the only country in the Americas to carry out executions in 2025. An unprecedented surge in Florida, where 19 people were put to death, drove the national total to 47, the highest figure since 2009. Singapore, too, reached a two-decade high with 17 executions.
The Shadow of China
Even these grim numbers, Amnesty cautioned, are almost certainly an undercount. The report does not include the thousands of executions believed to be carried out each year in China, where state secrecy makes independent verification impossible. Amnesty said China's concealment of data "pointed to an intentional use of the death penalty to send a message that the state would not tolerate threats to public security or stability," and reaffirmed that it considers China the world's leading executioner.
The Broader Pattern
Amnesty said the rise in executions was most pronounced in countries where authorities had moved to tighten their grip on power, restricting civic space, silencing dissent, and showing open disregard for international human rights standards.
The report lands at a moment when Iran is simultaneously engaged in a digital crackdown at home, having imposed one of the longest internet blackouts in recorded history following the January 2026 protests. For the families of those executed, and for the tens of millions living under information darkness, the message from Tehran is the same: dissent carries a price, and the regime intends to keep collecting it.