Saudi Arabia has recorded its highest-ever annual number of executions for the second year running, with 356 people put to death in 2025. The grim milestone represents a significant escalation in the kingdom's use of capital punishment, driven primarily by a renewed and aggressive crackdown on narcotics offences.
The Surge in Executions and the 'War on Drugs'
Official government data, collated by Agence France-Presse, reveals that a staggering 243 of the 356 executions in 2025 were for drug-related crimes. This surge is a direct consequence of Riyadh resuming the death penalty for drug offences at the end of 2022, following an approximately three-year suspension for such cases.
Analysts point to the kingdom's declared 'war on drugs' as the primary driver behind the rising toll. Many of those executed in 2025 had been arrested in prior years, with their legal proceedings and convictions only recently concluding. The Gulf state is a major market for the illicit stimulant fenethylline, commonly known as Captagon, a trade that has been a significant focus for authorities.
Since launching its anti-drug campaign, Saudi Arabia has intensified security measures, including increasing police checkpoints on highways and at border crossings. These operations have led to the confiscation of millions of pills and the arrest of dozens of alleged traffickers.
International Condemnation and Domestic Image
The kingdom's escalating use of the death penalty has drawn sustained and fierce criticism from international human rights organisations. Groups like Amnesty International condemn the practice as excessive, arguing it starkly contradicts the modern, reformist image Saudi Arabia is keen to project to the world.
Activists contend that this continued embrace of capital punishment, particularly for non-violent drug crimes, undermines the vision of a more open and tolerant society championed by the country's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, under his Vision 2030 agenda. This ambitious plan aims to diversify the oil-dependent economy through massive investments in tourism, entertainment, and global sporting events like the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
A particularly troubling aspect of the drug-related executions is that, to date, the majority of those put to death have been foreign nationals. Saudi authorities defend the policy, stating the death penalty is a necessary tool to maintain public order and is only applied after all judicial appeals have been exhausted.
A Record-Breaking Trajectory
The 2025 record follows a previous high of 338 executions in 2024, confirming a clear and alarming upward trend. While Amnesty International has documented executions since 1990, figures from earlier periods remain largely unclear. The current data indicates a decisive shift in judicial policy, moving away from the brief moratorium on drug-related capital punishment.
This hardening stance presents a complex paradox for the kingdom as it simultaneously courts international investment and tourism while employing a penal system that much of the global community finds abhorrent. The tension between its socio-economic modernisation drive and its traditional judicial practices is likely to remain a central point of diplomatic and ethical scrutiny in the years ahead.
