Saudi Arabia Executes Record 356 People in 2025

In 2025, Saudi Arabia carried out a record 356 executions, marking a significant increase in the use of capital punishment compared to previous years. The surge has drawn global attention from human rights organizations and international observers, raising concerns over judicial transparency, due process, and the application of the death penalty. The development has intensified debate around legal reforms, human rights commitments, and accountability within the kingdom’s justice system.

Government figures show that drug-related offences accounted for a large portion of executions in 2025, with 243 people put to death for narcotics cases alone, based on an AFP count. In total, Saudi Arabia carried out 356 executions during the year, AFP reported, marking the highest number ever recorded in the kingdom within a single year.

Experts largely link this sharp rise to Riyadh’s intensified “war on drugs” launched in recent years, noting that many of those arrested earlier are only now facing execution after lengthy trials and convictions. Official statistics reinforce this pattern, highlighting that drug-related cases dominated the execution figures in 2025, according to AFP’s tally.

The data also confirms a continuing trend, as 2025 became the second year in a row that Saudi Arabia set a new execution record, surpassing the 338 executions recorded in 2024. Executions for drug offences resumed in late 2022, ending a pause of nearly three years during which the death penalty for narcotics-related crimes had been suspended.

The kingdom is also one of the region’s largest markets for captagon, a powerful illicit stimulant that, according to the United Nations, was once Syria’s top export under former leader Bashar al-Assad. Assad was removed from power in December 2024, altering regional dynamics around the drug trade.

Since the launch of its anti-drug campaign, Saudi Arabia has ramped up security measures, expanding police checkpoints on highways and at border crossings, where authorities say millions of pills have been seized and dozens of traffickers detained. Foreign nationals have so far been disproportionately affected by the crackdown, observers say.

The kingdom continues to face sustained international criticism over its use of capital punishment, with rights groups describing it as excessive and at odds with efforts to project a more modern global image. Activists argue that the continued reliance on executions clashes with the vision of a more open and tolerant society promoted under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform programme.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in tourism infrastructure and high-profile sporting events, including hosting the 2034 football World Cup, as it seeks to reduce its dependence on oil revenues. Authorities maintain that the death penalty is essential for preserving public order and insist it is applied only after all legal appeals have been fully exhausted.

Amnesty International has been tracking and documenting executions in Saudi Arabia since 1990.

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Source: NDTV‍