WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE THE DEATH PENALTY

The death penalty is one of the most controversial topics around the world and is regularly discussed in various international venues. Each year more and more countries reject this form of punishment for criminals. Nevertheless, as of 2024, 53 states still impose death sentences by various methods, including beheading, electrocution, hanging, lethal injection and execution.

According to official data from Amnesty International, an international nongovernmental organization, there were 883 executions in 20 countries worldwide in 2022, a 53 percent increase from the previous year (579 executions in 2021). The year 2020 had the lowest number of executions recorded by Amnesty International in the last decade. Executions were most frequent in China, as well as in Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, USA, Syria, and Somalia.

In 2024, of the 196 independent states that are members of the UN or have UN observer status, 111 countries completely abolished the death penalty in law for all types of crimes. In addition, seven states have introduced a ban for ordinary crimes (while retaining the death penalty for special circumstances such as war crimes) and 24 countries do not use the death penalty in practice. However, 53 countries (listed below) still impose the death penalty on criminals.

Next, we will find out which countries legally allow the death penalty.

Note. The Republic of Belarus is the only European country that has not abolished the death penalty.

During 2022, 2,016 death sentences were handed down, an increase of 38.9% over 2020 (1,477). In all, at least 28,282 people were sentenced to death at the end of the year. The number of sentences rose sharply in South Asian countries such as Bangladesh (181), India (144) and Pakistan (129).

The last countries to abolish the death penalty were Zambia (2022), Equatorial Guinea (2022), Papua New Guinea (2022), Central African Republic (2022), Sierra Leone (2021), Kazakhstan (2021) and Chad (2020).

In 2022, 93% of all the death penalty (excluding China) were carried out in the Middle East and North Africa. At the same time, 196 the death penalty were recorded in Saudi Arabia, the highest annual total for that country in 30 years.

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