Analysts attribute increase to kingdom’s ‘war on drugs’ as authorities kill 356 people by death penalty
Saudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, setting a new record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year.
Analysts have largely attributed the increase in executions to Riyadh’s “war on drugs”, with some of those arrested in previous years only now being executed after legal proceedings and convictions.
Source: Executions in Saudi Arabia hit highest number ever in 2025
