2,707 people executed worldwide in 2025, a 78 percent increase over 2024 and the highest number recorded since 1981. Rise driven overwhelmingly by Iran, where executions more than doubled in a yr.

The staggering rise recorded in the report Death Sentences and Executions 2025, was down to a handful of governments determined to rule by fear

Iran put to death over 2,150 people last year, a "staggering" increase that pushed recorded worldwide executions to their highest level since 1981, Amnesty International said…