Tuesday, May 19, 2026 - Amnesty International says Iran carried out more than 2,150 executions in 2025, contributing to the highest recorded global execution figures since 1981.
In a report released on Monday, the UK-based rights group
said it had confirmed at least 2,707 executions worldwide during the year.
According to Amnesty, 2,159 of those executions took place in Iran, more than
double the figure recorded in 2024.
The organisation described the rise as “staggering” and
accused Iranian authorities of increasingly using the death penalty as a tool
of political repression. Amnesty said the increase intensified following the
June 2025 conflict involving Iran and Israel, as authorities allegedly
tightened restrictions on dissent and civil liberties.
“This trend was strongest in countries where the authorities
have tightened their grip on power by restricting civic space, silencing
dissent, and displaying disregard for protections established under
international human rights law and standards,” the report stated.
The group added that executions in Iran linked to
anti-government protests and membership of banned organisations had risen
sharply following unrest earlier this year.
Amnesty said the known total of 2,159 executions in Iran
represented “the highest figure on record since 1981” in the country and the
highest globally since that year. Despite the figures, Amnesty stressed that
the global total did not include the thousands of executions it believes were
carried out in China, which it described as the world’s leading executioner.
The organisation said China’s use of the death penalty
remains shrouded in “state secrecy”, preventing accurate documentation of the
true number of executions. “Amnesty International continues to consider China
as the world’s leading executioner,” the report said.
Beyond Iran and China, Amnesty reported sharp increases in
executions across several other countries. Saudi Arabia reportedly carried out
at least 356 executions in 2025, surpassing its previous record of 345 in 2024.
Executions in Kuwait rose from six to 17, while Egypt nearly
doubled its execution figures from 13 to 23. In Yemen, executions increased
from at least 38 to at least 51. The report also highlighted rising execution
figures in the United States, where 47 executions were recorded in 2025, the
country’s highest total since 2009. Amnesty said an “unprecedented rise” in
executions in Florida significantly contributed to the national increase.
Meanwhile, Singapore carried out 17 executions in 2025,
marking the country’s highest annual figure since 2003. The rights group warned
that the increasing use of the death penalty globally reflected growing
authoritarianism and shrinking civic freedoms in several countries.
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