Death sentences and executions 2025
Amnesty International May 18, 2026
Amnesty International’s 2025 report on death sentences and executions records a dramatic global rise in the use of capital punishment, with 2,707 executions documented in 17 countries—an increase of 78% compared with 1,518 in 2024. This total excludes China, where executions are believed to remain in the thousands but are treated as state secrets.
Iran was responsible for at least 1,190 executions in 2025, accounting for approximately 44% of all recorded executions worldwide. Amnesty International states that Iran remained one of the world’s leading executioners, with authorities increasingly using the death penalty as a tool of repression. Many executions were linked to drug-related offences, contrary to international human rights standards, which restrict capital punishment to the “most serious crimes.”
The report highlights the disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, particularly the Baluch ethnic minority, who represented a disturbingly high percentage of those executed in drug-related cases. Amnesty also condemned Iran’s continued violations of fair trial guarantees, including coerced confessions and politically motivated prosecutions.
Beyond executions, Amnesty documented the broader persecution of religious minorities, including Baha’is, alongside severe repression of dissent, civil society, and political opposition. The findings reinforce concerns that the Iranian authorities continue to use state violence systematically to silence and intimidate the population.
Official Amnesty report: