Capital punishment by country

Capital punishment by country
Capital punishment, also called the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as a punishment for a crime. It has historically been used in almost every part of the world. By the 2010s, many countries had either abolished or discontinued the practice.
The 193 member states of the United Nations, and the two observer states, are usually divided in four categories based on their use of capital punishment. :
54 (28%) maintain the death penalty in both law and practice.
22 (11%) permit its use for ordinary crimes, but have abolished it de facto, namely, according to Amnesty International standards, they have not used it for at least 10 years and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions.
10 (5%) have abolished it for all crimes except those committed under exceptional circumstances (such as during war), most recently: Ghana (2023), Zambia (2022), Equatorial Guinea (2022), and Burkina Faso (2018).
109 (55%) have completely abolished it, most recently: Papua New Guinea (2022), the Central African Republic (2022), Sierra Leone (2021), and Kazakhstan (2021).
Since 1990, at least 11 countries have executed offenders who were minors (under the age of 18 or 21) at the time the crime was committed, which is a breach of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by all countries but the United States. These are: China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sudan, the United States, and Yemen. In the United States, this ended in 2005 with the Supreme Court case Roper v. Simmons, in Nigeria in 2015 by a law, and in Saudi Arabia in 2020 by royal decree.
In , public executions were carried out in Iran and Afghanistan.
Global overview
Africa
In Africa, many countries still maintain the death penalty in law. Some of those countries, like Algeria and Cameroon, have moratoriums and have not used it for over a decade, making them abolitionist in practice. In Nigeria, some states are de facto abolitionist while others are retentionist. In 2018, Burkina Faso repealed the death penalty for civilian crimes, while the Gambia announced a moratorium as a first step towards abolition. Sierra Leone abolished capital punishment in 2021, as did the Central African Republic in 2022 for all crimes. For civilian crimes Equatorial Guinea and Zambia abolished it in 2022, while Ghana did so in 2023.
Americas
In the Caribbean countries, the death penalty exists at least de jure, except in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which abolished it in 1969 and 1987, respectively. Grenada is abolitionist in practice, and its last execution was in 1978. The last execution in the Caribbean, and the last in the Americas outside the United States, was in Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2008. In Central and South America, the death penalty exists in Belize and Guyana, though it has not been used since 1985 and 1997. In Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Peru, executions are only legal in specific circumstances, such as war crimes, and were abolished for civil crimes. Opinion polls stating sentiment for governments to return to capital punishment remain high in many Caribbean countries, and pressure on politicians to retain it is high. In 1999, Canada completely abolished it. In 2005, Mexico completely abolished it as well. And in 2009, Argentina also completely abolished it.
Asia
China is the world's most active death penalty country; according to Amnesty International, China executes more people than the rest of the world combined each year. In December 2015, Mongolia repealed the death penalty for all crimes, and in June 2022, Kazakhstan abolished it completely.
India executes criminals rarely. Thirty executions have taken place in India since 1991. The latest execution was that of four perpetrators of a gang rape and murder case on 20 March 2020.
Japan sometimes executes criminals. Since 1993, there have been about 130 executions carried out in the country. The latest execution in Japan was that of Tomohiro Katō on 26 July 2022.
Bangladesh executes criminals, often by hanging. There are more executions carried out in Bangladesh than in India.
According to a 2017 report by the National Human Rights Commission from Myanmar, over 700 prisoners in 26 prisons across the country had death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
Most recently, Singapore resumed executions in March 2022 after a two-year moratorium due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Singapore came under scrutiny for executing drug traffickers in several high-profile cases, including Nagaenthran Dharmalingam who was hanged on 27 April 2022, and Tangaraju Suppiah who was hanged on 26 April 2023. On 28 July 2023, a convicted drug trafficker named Saridewi binte Djamani was executed, becoming the first female offender hanged in Singapore in nineteen years, after the 2004 hanging of Yen May Woen.
Europe
The European Union holds a strong position against the death penalty; its abolition is a key objective for the Union's human rights policy. Abolition is also a pre-condition for entry into the European Union. In Europe, only Belarus continues to actively use capital punishment.
Capital punishment has been completely abolished in all European countries except for Belarus and Russia, the latter of which has a moratorium and has not conducted an execution since 1996. The absolute ban on the death penalty is enshrined in both the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU) and two widely adopted protocols of the European Convention on Human Rights of the Council of Europe, and is thus considered a central value. Of all present European countries, San Marino, Portugal and the Netherlands were the first to abolish capital punishment; Romania banned it even earlier in 1864, but it was much later reitroduced from 1936 to 1990; in Italy the nationwide ban on the death penalty dates from 1889 (capital punishment had previously not been in force in Tuscany alone since 1859, and even earlier for short periods starting from 1786), but it was then reintroduced during the fascist regime; now only Belarus still uses capital punishment. In 2012, Latvia became the last EU member state to abolish capital punishment in wartime.
Post-Soviet states
Russia retains the death penalty in law, but there has been a moratorium since 1996, making it de facto abolitionist. The last execution on Russian territory was in Chechnya in 1999. Of the other former Soviet republics, only Belarus and Tajikistan have not formally abolished capital punishment, and only Belarus uses it in practice. In 2000, Ukraine abolished the death penalty completely.
Oceania
It was in the Kingdom of Tahiti (when the island was independent), in 1824, that for the first time in the world, a legislative assembly abolished the death penalty. Tahiti commuted the death penalty to banishment. Nearly all countries in this region have abolished the death penalty as a form of punishment, and the last country that still has it in law (Tonga) has not used it in many decades and is considered de facto abolitionist. The last known executions in this region took place in Tonga in 1982. Australia abolished the death penalty completely in 1985.
Human Development Index
There are 65 sovereign states with a very high human development according to the 2021/2022 Human Development Report,. Of these:
14 (22%) maintain the death penalty in both law and practice: Singapore, Japan, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Belarus, Malaysia, and Thailand.
3 (5%) permit its use for ordinary crimes, but have not used it for at least 10 years and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions: South Korea, Brunei, and Russia.
2 (3%) have abolished it for all crimes except those committed under exceptional circumstances (such as during war): Israel and Chile.
46 (71%) have completely abolished it, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Singapore has the highest Human Development Index of all the countries that use the death penalty, while Japan has both the highest inequality-adjusted HDI and the highest planetary pressures–adjusted HDI.
Developed countries
As of 2022, of the 40 countries and territories, that are classified by the IMF as developed countries (advanced economies), including the non-UN-members Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, 36 have completely abolished the death penalty. Only the United States, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes, and Israel for crimes under exceptional circumstances (such as during war).
Numbers executed in 2022
At least 21 countries performed executions in :
Americas (1 country): United States (18)
Asia-Pacific (7 countries): Bangladesh (4), China (unknown), Japan (1), Myanmar (4), North Korea (unknown), Singapore (11), Vietnam (unknown)
Europe (1 country): Belarus (unknown)
Middle East and North Africa (10 countries): Afghanistan (unknown), Egypt (unknown), Iran (596+), Iraq (unknown), Jordan (unknown), Kuwait (7), Palestine (5), Saudi Arabia (146), Syria (unknown), Yemen (1)
Sub-Saharan Africa (2 countries): Somalia (19), South Sudan (2)
Precise numbers are not available for many countries, so the total number of executions is unknown. Other countries, like Libya, have conducted extrajudicial executions.
Capital punishment by continents
Africa
There are 54 member states of the United Nations in Africa. Of these:
13 (24%) maintain the death penalty in both law and practice.
14 (26%) permit its use for ordinary crimes, but have not used it for at least 10 years and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions.
4 (7%) has abolished it for all crimes except those committed under exceptional circumstances (such as during war).
23 (43%) have completely abolished it.
Many African countries have carried out no executions for over 10 years, but are not believed to have an abolitionist policy or established practice.
Nigeria is only retentionist in the northern states that use sharia law, and in some southern states such as Imo. Many southern states are abolitionist in practice due to a moratorium that has been in place since 2004.
The countries in Africa that most recently abolished the death penalty are Ghana (2023), Zambia (2022) and Equatorial Guinea (2022) for ordinary crimes, Central African Republic (2022) and Sierra Leone (2021) for all crimes.
Executions in Africa in 2019: Botswana (1), Egypt (29+), Somalia (13+), South Sudan (7+).
Americas
There are 35 member states of the United Nations in the Americas. Of these:
13 (37%) maintain the death penalty in both law and practice.
1 (3%) permits its use for ordinary crimes, but has not used it for at least 10 years and is believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions.
5 (14%) have abolished it for all crimes except those committed under exceptional circumstances (such as during war).
16 (46%) have completely abolished it.
Many Caribbean countries have carried out no executions for over 10 years, but are not believed to have an abolitionist policy or established practice.
Currently (2022), the United States is the only country in the Americas to conduct executions for civil purposes. Capital punishment applies nationwide on the federal level, for certain federal crimes. Some states have retained capital punishment for state offences, while other states are abolitionist. Of the fifty states and one federal district, twenty have abolished capital punishment entirely. Two states are abolitionist in practice for state crimes. Five states have imposed formal moratoriums and one state has imposed an informal moratorium, but these states cannot be considered abolitionist in practice for state crimes, as the moratoriums have been in place for under a decade.
Outside of the United States, the last execution elsewhere in the Americas was in Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2008.
The countries in the Americas that most recently abolished the death penalty are Suriname (2015), Argentina (2009), and Bolivia (2009). Guatemala abolished the death penalty for civil cases in 2017.
Executions in the Americas in 2019: United States (22).
Asia
There are 42 member states of the United Nations in Asia, and one observer state. Of these:
27 (63%) maintain the death penalty in both law and practice.
5 (12%) permit its use for ordinary crimes, but have not used it for at least 10 years and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions.
1 (2%) has abolished it for all crimes except those committed under exceptional circumstances (such as during war).
10 (23%) have completely abolished it.
The information above does not include Taiwan, which is not a UN member. Taiwan practises the death penalty by shooting, and conducted one execution each in 2016, 2018, and 2020.
Hong Kong and Macau are also listed below (they abolished the death penalty before their handover to China), but they are not included in the figures above as they do not have UN membership separate from China. This makes China retentionist only in the mainland.
On 25 July 2022, because of Myanmar's civil war between the military junta (who rule most areas of the country) and the civilian government it overthrow, the junta carried out executions making it the first executions since 1988, making the country retentionist in areas controlled by the Tatmadaw. Under the civilian government (who internationally and according to the UN remain the legal government) and in areas controlled by it the country continues to be abolitionist in practice.
Iraq also has a regional variety of retentionism and abolitionism, as Iraqi Kurdistan is de facto abolitionist for ordinary crimes due to a moratorium that has been in place since 2007. The rest of Iraq (the majority of the country) is fully retentionist.
Indonesia has an informal moratorium and Malaysia a formal one, but both have only been in place since 2018. Between May 2018 and March 2019, Malaysia's government, which was then led by a progressive coalition, considered abolishing the death penalty, but relented under public pressure. In April 2023, legislation abolishing the mandatory death penalty was passed in Malaysia.
The countries in Asia that most recently abolished the death penalty are Kazakhstan (2021), Mongolia (2017), and Uzbekistan (2008).
In 2019, Asia had the world's five leading practitioners of capital punishment: China, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam. Executions in Asia in 2019: Bahrain (3), Bangladesh (2), China (1000+), Iran (256+), Japan (3), North Korea (Unknown), Pakistan (20+), Saudi Arabia (184+), Singapore (4), Syria (Unknown), Vietnam (Unknown), Yemen (7+).
Europe
There are 48 member states of the United Nations in Europe, and one observer state. Of these:
1 (2%) maintains the death penalty in both law and practice.
1 (2%) permits its use for ordinary crimes, but has not used it for at least 10 years and is believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions.
47 (96%) have completely abolished it.
Abolition of death penalty is a pre-condition for entry into the European Union, which considers capital punishment a "cruel and inhuman" practice and "not been shown in any way to act as a deterrent to crime".
Since 1999, Belarus has been the only recognised country in Europe to carry out executions. 2009, 2015, 2020 are the first three years in recorded history when Europe was completely free of executions.
The countries in Europe that most recently abolished the death penalty are Bosnia and Herzegovina (2019), Latvia (2012), and Albania (2007).
Executions in Europe in 2019: Belarus (2+).
Oceania
There are 14 member states of the United Nations in Oceania. Of these:
1 (7%) permits its use for ordinary crimes, but has not used it for at least 10 years and is believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions.
13 (93%) have completely abolished it.
Only Tonga has not formally abolished capital punishment despite not using the practice since 1982.
The countries in Oceania that most recently abolished the death penalty are Papua New Guinea (2022), Nauru (2016), and Fiji (2015).
Abolition chronology
The table below lists in chronological order the 109 independent states, that are either UN members or have UN observer status, that have completely abolished the death penalty. In the hundred years following the abolition of capital punishment by Venezuela in 1863, only 11 more countries followed, not counting temporary abolitions which were later reversed. From the 1960s onwards, abolition became far more popular. 4 countries abolished capital punishment in the 1960s (a record up to that time for any decade), 11 in the 1970s, and a further 10 in the 1980s. After the end of the Cold War, many more countries followed. 36 countries abolished capital punishment in the 1990s, with 9 in 1990 alone, 23 in the 2000s, 11 in the 2010s, and 7 so far in the 2020s. Since 1985, there have been only five years when no country has abolished the death penalty: 2001, 2003, 2011, 2013, and 2018.
Note: Where a country has abolished, re-instated, and abolished again (e.g. Philippines, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy) only the later abolition date is included. Countries which have abolished and since reinstated (e.g. Liberia, Malawi) are not included. Non-independent territories are considered being under the jurisdiction of their parent country – which leads to unexpectedly late abolition dates for the UK, New Zealand and the Netherlands, where Jersey (UK), the Cook Is (NZ), and the Netherlands Antilles, were the last territories of those states to abolish capital punishment, and all were rather later than the more well-known abolitions on the respective mainlands. References are in the continental tables above and are not repeated here.
See also
List of most recent executions by jurisdiction
American Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Life imprisonment
Corporal punishment
Footnotes
References
External links
Amnesty International
The Death Penalty Worldwide
Countries retaining death penalty fail to give details of executions – United Nations, 14 July 2005
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
European Convention on Human Rights - Protocol 13
American Convention on Human Rights - Protocol to Abolish the Death Penalty
Death Penalty in Asia-Pacific
Monthly updates of world-wide executions
Hands Off Cain (results may vary)
Abolition UK
Death Penalty Worldwide Academic research database on the laws, practice, and statistics of capital punishment for every death penalty country in the world.
Capital punishment