ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Amnesty International on Monday published its 2025 annual report on the use of the death penalty worldwide, with global executions surging to their highest level in over four decades, driven largely by Iran, without accounting for the thousands of executions believed to have been carried out in China.

The watchdog said it recorded 2,707 executions globally in 2025, a 78 percent increase from the year before and the highest number since 1981, adding, “this figure does not include the thousands of executions that Amnesty International believes continued to be carried out in China.”

The report said the global rise was driven primarily by Iran, where authorities carried out at least 2,159 executions, more than double the previous year and the highest figure recorded in the country in decades. Iran alone accounted for around 80 percent of all recorded executions worldwide.

Amnesty said Iranian authorities had “weaponized the death penalty” to “instill fear among the population, including against protesters, dissidents and those accused of espionage.”

“The total number of executing countries was 17, which is in line with the historical low trends recorded since 2018,” it added.

Iraq was listed among the countries that carried out executions in 2025, though Amnesty said that it could not verify a minimum figure and therefore categorized the country as “Iraq (+).” The watchdog noted that executions in Iraq declined compared with at least 63 recorded in 2024, but said the exact number for 2025 remained unclear.

According to the report, Iraqi courts issued at least 79 death sentences in 2025, marking a 61 percent decrease from at least 200 recorded the previous year. Amnesty also said Iraq continued to use hanging as a method of execution.

The monitor also listed Iraq among countries where “death sentences were known to have been imposed after proceedings that did not

meet international fair trial standards.” At least 35 death sentences were linked to “drug-related offenses, which do not meet the threshold of the most serious crimes under international law.”

Saudi Arabia also recorded a sharp rise, with at least 356 executions, while increases were also reported in Egypt, Singapore, the United States, and Yemen. Kuwait nearly tripled its yearly total from six to 17 executions.

Nearly half of all recorded executions globally were linked to drug-related offences, according to the report, with Amnesty criticizing governments for using the death penalty as part of “tough on crime” policies.