Saudi Arabia Executes Record Number of Death Sentences in a Single Year

Saudi Arabia has broken its own record for the number of executions carried out in a single year, with authorities announcing on Monday that three more people have been executed.

According to an AFP tally, the kingdom has executed a total of 340 people so far this year. In recent years, only China and Iran have carried out more executions than Saudi Arabia.

The figure indicates that Saudi Arabia has broken its own annual execution record for the second consecutive year. Human rights groups note that this trend has been observed since executions began to be systematically documented in the 1990s. In 2024, the country carried out 338 executions.

In a statement issued by the Interior Ministry and carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA), authorities said the three individuals were executed in the Makkah region after being convicted of murder.

AFP’s analysis shows that since the beginning of 2025, Saudi Arabia has executed 232 people in drug-related cases alone, accounting for the majority of the 340 executions recorded so far. The count is based on official announcements by the Interior Ministry and SPA.

Analysts say the sharp rise in executions is closely linked to the kingdom’s “war on drugs,” launched in 2023. Many of those executed were arrested earlier, and their death sentences are now being carried out following the completion of legal proceedings.

Saudi Arabia resumed executions for drug-related offenses in late 2022 after a nearly three-year hiatus.

According to United Nations data, Saudi Arabia—the largest economy in the Arab world—is one of the biggest markets for Captagon, an illicit amphetamine-type stimulant. The drug was Syria’s largest export during the rule of Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted from power last year.