Record Death Sentences in Saudi Arabia in 2025: 356 People

In 2025, Saudi Arabia executed 356 people, marking a new annual record for the kingdom. This figure, reported by the AFP based on official and expert sources, represents the highest number of executions carried out in a single year in recent Saudi history.

Analysts have linked the surge in capital punishments to the country’s intensified “war on drugs,” which saw numerous arrests across the kingdom. Following the conclusion of legal proceedings, many of those apprehended were sentenced to death.

Government data indicates that of the total executions in 2025, 243 were linked to drug-related offences. This continues a trend of consecutive yearly increases, following 338 executions in 2024. Observers note that this upward trajectory reflects the government’s renewed focus on strict enforcement of drug laws, after a temporary hiatus in the application of capital punishment for certain crimes.

Saudi Arabia reinstated capital punishment for drug-related crimes at the end of 2022, following nearly three years during which the death penalty for such offences had been effectively suspended. Since the launch of the anti-drug campaign, authorities have increased police presence along highways and at border crossings, seizing millions of illicit tablets and arresting dozens of traffickers.

The kingdom has long faced international criticism for its use of the death penalty. Human rights organisations have described these measures as excessive, arguing that they undermine Saudi Arabia’s efforts to present itself as a modernising state. Critics also claim that ongoing executions run counter to the broader societal reforms envisioned under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 programme, potentially eroding the image of a tolerant and progressive society.

Human rights advocates contend that while Vision 2030 aims to modernise the country’s economy and social policies, the continued application of capital punishment, particularly for non-violent offences such as drug trafficking, casts a shadow over these reforms. The record-setting executions of 2025 have reignited debates over the kingdom’s human rights record, both domestically and on the international stage.