State executions around the world have reached their highest levels since 2015, according to a new Amnesty International report.

In 2024, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia executed at least 1,500 people, accounting for 1,380 of them. The United States is responsible for 25.

Despite the surge, the amnesty pointed out that the number of countries that were executing the death penalty was low, with a total of 15, the lowest in the second year.

“These numbers are the highest since 2015,” the amnesty report said. Although the actual number may be much higher due to the lack of transparency in countries such as China, North Korea and Vietnam.

China is believed to be performing thousands of executions a year, but the data is still in the national classification, just like Vietnam.

Reports, Death Verdicts and Executions 2024, linking the spikes to Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, where executions rise sharply. The total number in Iran rose from at least 853 in 2023 to 972 last year.

Iraq has almost increased its number from 16 to 63, while Saudi Arabia doubled its executions to at least 345.

The amnesty noted that more than 40% of the executions were drug-related crimes, saying it violated human rights law. It also warns of an increasing trend to use the death penalty against protesters.

“The trend is turning the death penalty… until the world gets rid of the shadow of the gallows, it’s only a matter of time.”

While some countries have added executions, others have repealed or restricted the practice. Zimbabwe passed a law that eliminates the death penalty for ordinary crimes, with death row prisoners in Japan and the United States being acquitted or lenient in 2024.

Last year, more than two-thirds of UN member states also voted in favor of the moratorium on the death penalty, indicating international opposition to the death penalty.