| Hans-Günter Meyer-Thompson | International
The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2025
The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2025
2025 marked a significant and violent escalation in the use of capital punishment for drug offences. Confirmed drug-related executions increased by 97% between 2024 and 2025, reaching the highest levels recorded globally since Harm Reduction International began tracking this data in 2007. While civil society organisations work tirelessly to track these figures, the global picture remains incomplete due to state secrecy in nations like China, North Korea, and Vietnam. The 2025 spike was driven largely by a small group of countries that have intensified their punitive measures. (HRI – Harm Reduction International, UK, März 2026)