The Guardian pointed to a record increase in the use of the death penalty in the United States.

In 2025, the United States set a record for the most executions in the last 16 years. This was reported on December 31 by The Guardian newspaper.

"In 2025, the number of executions in the United States increased dramatically, reaching the highest level in 16 years, due to [US President] Donald Trump's campaign to resume judicial executions, combined with the growing reluctance of the US Supreme Court to consider last—minute clemency requests," the publication says.

It is noted that in total, the death penalty was applied to 47 people during the year. They were all men. The number of death sentences has almost doubled compared to last year.

"A sharp increase in the practice of state executions will further distance the United States from almost all other developed countries. Only Japan, Singapore and Taiwan have carried out executions in recent years," the newspaper reports.

On September 25, Trump signed a decree authorizing the death penalty in Washington. It is specified that this measure will be introduced in the territory of the District of Columbia, which is not a US state. Before that, in January, Trump signed a decree on the return of the death penalty at the federal level. According to him, laws allowing the death penalty must be respected and applied in good faith.

Earlier, on December 16, it was reported that Saudi Arabia broke its own record for the number of executions in 2025, carrying out 340 sentences, including three executions that took place on December 15. Execution for drug trafficking continues to be one of the priorities in the fight against crime in the kingdom, which also reflects the continuation of the "war on drugs" launched in 2023.

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