THIS year 25 inmates on Death Row were executed in the US - and they were all men aged 31 to 83.

All of the men were convicted for killings of some kind, many had other convictions like rape and kidnapping, one a bombing.

It was the highest number of executions in one year since 2015, after the number began to decline in 2009.

The Pope recently announced the Vatican's toughened stance on the death penalty, calling for it to be abolished worldwide.

Texas executed 13 inmates this year, the most of any state, followed by Tennessee with three.

In Texas prisoners are generally no longer allowed to pick a last meal and they are given the usual prison fare.

The oldest inmate to be executed was 83 and the youngest 31.

Lethal injections were the most commonly used form of execution, but some were electrocuted.

At least 14 prisoners have been given executed dates in 2019 and over 2,000 men and women are currently on Death Row.

Here are the full details of all 25 inmates who were executed on Death Row in 2018, including their last meals and convictions.

Anthony Shore, 55, Texas

Date: January 18

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Standard prison fare - chicken patty, mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas, macaroni and cheese, carrots, and cornbread

Antony Shore, 55, was the first inmate to be executed in 2018.

He killed a young woman and four girls in Houston, Texas, between 1986 and 1995.

Dubbed the "Tourniquet Killer" for his killing method, Shore was executed for the murder of a 21-year-old nanny from Mexico.

He raped her and strangled her with a nylon cord from a Venetian blind in April 1992 after offering her a lift to work.

After scrapings from underneath her fingernails matched his DNA, which was in the database after he admitted sexually abusing two young girls, he was arrested in 2003 and convicted the following year.

Shore later admitted to strangling three other Hispanic girls - Laurie Lee Tremblay, 15, in 1986, Dana Sanchez, 16, in 1995, and Diana Rebollar, nine, in April 1994.

His final statement was: "No amount of words or apology could ever undo what I've done. I wish I could undo the past, but it is what it is."

William Rayford, 64, Texas

Date: January 30

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Spaghetti with beef sauce, green beans, black beans, corn, and garlic bread

William Rayford, 64, was executed for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Carol Hall, in November 1999.

At the time he was on parole for stabbing his estranged wife to death in 1986.

During an argument with Ms Hall he stabbed her 11-year-old son and chased the 44-year-old out of her home in Cliff Oak, Texas.

He beat, stabbed and strangled her before dumping her body 300ft inside a drainage pipe behind the house.

Rayford's lawyers tried to claim he had brain damage caused by lead poisoning from an old bullet fragment from decades before, as well as exposure to contaminated water when he was a child.

They failed to get him off death row.

John Battaglia, 62, Texas

Date: February 1

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Chicken patty, mashed potatoes with country gravy, green beans, corn and cornbread

The 62-year-old accountant was sentenced to death for shooting dead his two daughters in 2001.

Battaglia's former wife watched the execution from the viewing area.

His final words were: "No, well, hi Mary Jean, I'll see y'all later."

Eric Branch, 47, Florida

Date: February 22

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Pork chop, a T-bone steak, french fries, two pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and ginger ale

Eric Blanch, a 47-year-old father, was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a college student in 1993.

He is said to have wanted to steal her car.

Susan Morris' battered and strangled body was found in a wooded area on the campus in Pensacola.

Blanch never admitted guilt and blamed the murder on another man called Eric.

His final words, said in front of Ms Morris' family and journalists, were: "My last statement is for you guys. I ask you to step out of line of duty and not participate in this.

"The governor wishes to be senator, and [Florida Attorney General] Pam Bondi wishes to be governor. Let them come down here and do it. I’ve learned that you are good people and this is not what you should be doing."

He screamed "murderers" as they injected him.

Michael Eggers, 50, Alabama

Date: March 15

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Chicken creole, dirty rice, turnip greens, cornbread, cream corn, cake, and a grape drink

Michael Eggers, 50, admitted murdering his former boss Bennie Francis Murray.

He had worked for the 67-year-old who ran a carnival concessions stand with her husband.

Eggers asked for her to pick up him and his son, but after they dropped off the boy he got into an argument with her and beat her unconscious.

He dragged her body into the woods and used a tree branch to choke her.

Carlton Gary, 67, Georgia

Date: March 15

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Grilled hamburger, a hot dog, white beans, coleslaw and a grape beverage

Known as the "Stocking Strangler", 67-year-old Carlton Gary strangled three elderly women with their stockings.

He was convicted of the crimes and sentenced to death in 1986 - but spent 32 years on death row.

Gary offered no last words.

Rosendo Rodriguez, 38, Texas

Date: March 27

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Pepper steak, steamed rice, brown gravy, vegetable blend, black-eyed peas, cornbread, chilled pasta salad

Rosendo Rodriguez, 38, sexually assaulted and murdered a pregnant prostitute in 2005.

He stuffed Summer Baldwin's body in a suitcase which was later found at a landfill.

After his arrest, Rodriguez confessed to killing another woman the same way.

He was dubbed the "suitcase killer" of Lubbock, Texas.

The execution took place one day after his birthday after an appeal was denied.

According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, he said: "Yesterday was my birthday. Today is the day I join my God and father."

He added: "The state may have my body but not my soul."

Walter Moody, 83, Alabama

Date: April 19

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Two Philly cheese sandwiches and Dr Pepper

The 83-year-old was the oldest man to be killed on Death Row this year.

Moody was convicted of killing US Circuit Court Judge Robert Vance, 58, in 1989 and Georgia civil rights attorney Robert Robinson, both with mail bombs.

He sent the bomb to the judge over a 1972 bomb conviction which derailed his career.

The other bomb was sent to confuse investigators.

He spent over 20 years on Death Row.

Erick Davila, 31, Texas

Date: April 25

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Salisbury steak, steamed rice, brown gravy, vegetable blend, pinto beans, cornbread and butterscotch brownies

The youngest man to be executed on death row this year, 31-year-old Erick Davila killed a 48-year-old woman and her 5-year-old granddaughter.

Using a semiautomatic rifle with a laser scope, he opened fire at a children's birthday party in 2008, thinking a rival gang member was present - he was a member of the Bloods street gang.

Three other children and one woman were injured.

His last words were: "I might have lost the fight but I'm still a soldier.

"I still love you all. To my supporters and family, y'all hold it down."

Robert Butts, 40, Georgia

Date: May 4

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Bacon cheeseburger with American and cheddar cheese, a ribeye steak, six chicken tenders, seasoned fries, cheesecake and strawberry lemonade

Robert Butts, 40, was sentenced to death for the armed robbery and murder of an off-duty officer in 1996.

He was only 18 when he asked the cop for a lift outside a Walmart store, directed him to a secluded spot and shot him in the back of the head with a sawed-off shotgun.

His final words were "Yeah, I've been drinking caffeine all day"

And said "it burns man" when he was injected.

Juan Castillo, 37, Texas

Date of execution: May 16

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Chicken patty, mashed potatoes, country gravy, carrots, pinto beans, green beans, cornbread

Juan Castillo, 37, robbed and murdered an aspiring rapper in 2003.

The death sentence was postponed three times in one year.

He died after being administered a lethal dose of pentobarbital in the Huntsville death chamber, according to the Texas Department of Justice.

His final words were: "To everyone that has been there for me, you know who you are. See y'all on the other side."

According to one witness, he later added, "S*** does burn."

Danny Bible, 66, Texas

Date: June 27

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Chicken patty, sweet potatoes, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, pinto beans, biscuits, country gravy and a sugar cookie bar

Danny Bible, 66, was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a young woman.

He stabbed her 11 times with an ice pick and was dubbed the "Ice Pick Killer".

Bible admitted other rapes and killings, including the murder of a baby.

He was in a wheelchair and claimed his veins wouldn't handle the injection and requested firing squad or gas.

Speaking at his execution, one of his victim's family members said: "Danny Paul Bible is as a vile and evil a person that has ever drawn breath."

Christopher Young, 34, Texas

Date: July 17

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Standard prison fare - the exact details of which are not known

Christopher Young, 34, shot dead a convenience store owner in 2004 - he was just 24 at the time.

Even the victim's family opposed his execution and protesters tried to get it revoked in July, but failed.

His last words were:

"l want to make sure the Patel family knows I love them like they love me. Make sure the kids in the world know I'm being executed and those kids I've been mentoring keep this fight going.

"I'm good, warden."

As he was dying he said he could "taste it in his throat".

Robert Van Hook, 58, Ohio

Date: July 18

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Double cheeseburgers, fries, strawberry cheese cake with whipped cream, a vanilla milkshake and grapefruit juice.

Robert 'Bobby' Van Hook, 58, stabbed a man to death in his apartment - and was executed 30 years later.

David Self, 25, was found nearly disembowelled in 1985 after they had met at a gay bar in Cincinnati.

His last words were "I'm good".

Billy Irick, 59, Tennessee

Date: August 9

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: A combo of a "super deluxe" burger, onion rings and a Pepsi

Billy Irick, 59, murdered seven-year-old Paula Dyer after he raped her in 1985.

He spent three decades on Death Row.

Irick's final words were "I just want to say I'm really sorry".

Carey Moore, 60, Nebraska

Date: August 14

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Pizza Hut slices, shared with his twin brother

Carey Moore, 60, was on Death Row for nearly 40 years after he shot dead Omaha taxi drivers Reuel Van Ness Jr and Maynard Helgeland in 1979.

Troy Clark, 51, Texas

Date: September 26

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Pepper steak, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, pinto beans, cornbread, black-eyed peas, pork noodle casserole and carrot cake

In 1998, Troy Clark, 51, kidnapped and murdered young mum Christina Muse before stuffing her body in a barrel with concrete.

He was sentenced to death for the crime but maintained his innocence.

His last words were "I'm not the one who killed Christina.

"But hey, whatever makes you happy."

He is said to have laughed and giggled during the execution.

Daniel Acker, 46, Texas

Date: September 27

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Chicken patty, steamed rice, country gravy, black beans, corn bread, chili mac, corn, and pinto beans

Daniel Acker, 46, made his last appeal just hours before he was executed.

He murdered his girlfriend, 32-year-old Marquetta George, in 2002.

Her body was found on the side of the round.

Rodney Berget, 56, South Dakota

Date: October 29

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Pancakes, waffles, maple syrup and butter, breakfast sausages, scrambled eggs, fries, Pepsi and Cherry Nibs licorice.

Rodney Berget, 56, was sentenced to death for his part in the murder of a corrections officer in 2011.

He was already in prison for attempted murder and kidnapping.

His final words were "is it supposed to feel like that?"

Edmund Zagorski, 63, Tennessee

Date: November 1

Method: Electric chair

Last meal: Pickled pig knuckles and pigtails

Edmund Zagorski, 63, chose the electric chair as he believed it wouldn't be as painful as the lethal injection.

He was convicted of murdering John Dotson, 35, and Jimmy Porter, 32, in 1983.

His final words were "let's rock".

Roberto Ramos, 64, Texas

Date: November 14

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Pepper steak, steamed rice, mixed greens, pinto beans, sliced bread, oven-fried potatoes, country gravy with sausage, mixed fruit, biscuits

Roberto Ramos, 64, murdered his wife and kids 26 years ago with a sledgehammer.

He buried them under the bathroom floor of their home.

His final words were: “I’m getting my gold watch that it took the governor 30 years to forge.

“Thank you, God. Lord, send me a chariot. I’m ready.”

Joseph Garcia, 47, Texas

Date: December 4

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Baked pork chop, pepper steak, sweet potatoes, pinto beans, steamed rice with brown gravy, corn, vegetarian beans, cornbread, sliced bread

Joseph Garcia was a member of the "Texas 7", a gang of escaped prisoners involved in the fatal shooting of a cop.

Officer Aubrey Hawkins, of Irving, Texas, was gunned down during a robbery on Christmas Eve in 2000.

Garcia did not shoot the cop but was sentenced to death due to "law of parties".

Before he died, he wrote to the Houston Chronicle: "I am on Death Row because of the actions and intent of others and because I am one of the Texas Seven, case closed.

"Is it right that I should be murdered for something that I did not do?"

His last words were: "Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive them for they know not what they do."

David Earl Miller, 61, Tennessee

Date: December 6

Method: Electric chair

Last meal: Pepper steak, steamed rice with brown gravy, ranch style beans, cornbread, spaghetti with beef sauce, corn, pinto beans, and garlic toast

Miller was Tennessee's longest standing Death Row inmate at 36 years.

He said "beats being on Death Row" when he died.

Miller was convicted of murdering 23-year-old Lee Standifer.

They had been on a date before he beat and stabbed her and dumped her body in a woodland.

Alvin Braziel, 43, Texas
Date: December 11

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Unknown

Braziel murdered Douglas White and raped his bride Lora White during a botched robbery 25 years ago.

He attacked the pair at gunpoint as they walked on a jogging trail at Eastfield College campus, near Dallas, in September 1993.

The couple told Braziel, who was 18 at the time, that they had no money before Douglas was fatally shot and Lora sexually attacked.

The crime was unsolved for eight years.

His last words were an apology to Lora.

Jose Jimenez, 55, Florida
Jose Jiminez, 55, was executed on December 13
Date: December 13

Method: Lethal injection

Last meal: Cuban sandwich, eggs, French fries and ice cream

Jiminez stabbed a 63-year-old woman eight times during a burglary, killing her.

In a written statement released by the Florida Department of Corrections, Phyliss's nephew said: "Mr Jimenez has shown no remorse or repentance for his crime.

“His execution will allow closure to a painful memory of the vicious murder ... My family hopes he has made peace with himself and to whatever power he may or may not believe in.

"We pray for his soul and feel justice has been rightfully served."