Saudi Arabia recorded its highest number of executions in a single year during 2025, with 356 individuals put to death according to documented figures. This alarming statistic represents the second consecutive year the kingdom has broken its own execution record, surpassing the 338 executions carried out in 2024.
Analysts identify Riyadh’s intensified ‘war on drugs’ as the primary driver behind this surge, with many cases originating from arrests made several years ago now reaching final verdicts and implementation. Official government data indicates that drug-related cases accounted for 243 of the total executions in 2025 alone.
In a significant demographic shift, foreign nationals constituted the majority of those executed for the first time in Saudi history, according to the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights. The Berlin-based monitoring group confirmed the record numbers and noted that migrant workers appear to be disproportionately affected by the anti-drug campaign.
Duaa Dhainy, a researcher with the organization, characterized the escalating execution rates as evidence that Saudi Arabia’s promises regarding human rights reforms lack substance. She further stated that the executions function as tools of ‘intimidation and fear’ targeting various groups including minors and political dissidents.
Saudi Arabia resumed capital punishment for drug offenses in late 2022 after approximately three years of suspension. The nation represents one of the largest markets for captagon, an illicit stimulant that previously served as Syria’s primary export during Bashar al-Assad’s regime before his ouster in December 2024.
The intensified anti-drug campaign has featured increased police checkpoints along highways and border crossings, resulting in millions of confiscated pills and numerous trafficking arrests. Saudi authorities maintain that the death penalty remains essential for preserving public order and is applied only after exhaustive legal appeals processes.
This persistent use of capital punishment continues to draw international condemnation from human rights organizations, which describe the practice as excessive and contradictory to Saudi Arabia’s simultaneous efforts to project a modernized global image through massive tourism investments and high-profile sporting events like the 2034 World Cup.