Saudi Arabia executed 356 people in 2025, the highest number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year, according to official data compiled by Agence France-Presse. The figure marks the second consecutive year of record executions, following 338 in 2024.
Analysts attribute the surge largely to Riyadh's 'war on drugs,' with 243 of those executed convicted in drug-related cases. Many of those put to death were arrested in previous years and only recently completed legal proceedings. Saudi Arabia resumed executions for drug offences at the end of 2022 after a three-year suspension.
The Gulf kingdom is a major market for fenethylline, an illicit stimulant known as Captagon, which the UN says was Syria's largest export under former leader Bashar al-Assad. Since launching its anti-drug campaign, authorities have increased police checkpoints on highways and borders, seizing millions of pills and arresting dozens of traffickers. Most of those executed in drug cases have been foreigners.
Rights groups have condemned the sharp rise in executions, calling it excessive and at odds with Saudi Arabia's efforts to project a modern image through initiatives such as the Vision 2030 reform agenda. Activists argue the continued use of the death penalty undermines the country's push to attract tourism and host global events like the 2034 football World Cup.
The Saudi authorities maintain that capital punishment is necessary for public order and is applied only after all appeals are exhausted. Amnesty International, which began documenting executions in the kingdom in 1990, has criticised the record numbers.
