Saudi Arabia sets executions record in 2025, putting 356 people to death
The surge comes amid Riyadh’s ongoing ‘war on drugs’ and marked the first time more foreigners were executed than Saudis in a calendar year
Saudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, according to an Agence France-Presse tally, setting a record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year.
Analysts have largely attributed the surge in executions to Riyadh’s ongoing “war on drugs” launched in recent years – with many of those first arrested only now being executed, following legal proceedings and convictions.
Official data released by the government said 243 people were executed in drug-related cases in 2025 alone, according to the tally. The figures from 2025 mark the second consecutive year Saudi Arabia has set a record for executions, after authorities executed 338 people in 2024.
Duaa Dhainy, a researcher at the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, said the record-breaking numbers were “proof that promises regarding human rights reforms in Saudi Arabia have no value”.
She added that the executions served as a message of “intimidation and fear for everyone”, including “migrant workers, minors and political opponents”.
The Berlin-based organisation confirmed that Saudi Arabia executed 356 people in 2025, highlighting it was the first time more foreigners were executed than Saudis in a calendar year.
