Politics
The Death Penalty is Still Legal in 87 Countries ☠️
![The Death Penalty is Still Legal in 87 Countries ☠️](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.voronoiapp.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fvoronoi-The-Death-Penalty-is-Still-Legal-in-87-Countries--20240510132019.webp&w=3840&q=75)
What we’re showing
A global breakdown of the death penalty’s status, using figures from Amnesty International’s 2022 Death Penalty Report (published in May 2023).
Interpreting the numbers
The death penalty is legal in 87 countries, but there is some nuance to this figure:
- 55 allow it for ordinary crimes
- 9 countries only allow it for exceptional crimes (such as war crimes)
- 23 countries retain the death penalty in law, but have not executed anyone in at least 10 years
See the Dataset tab for the entire list of countries under each category.
Dataset
Status | Number of Countries |
---|---|
Fully abolished | 112 |
Abolished in practice, but still legal | 23 |
Allowed only for exceptional crimes* | 9 |
Allowed for ordinary crimes | 55 |
Regional breakdown for the 55 allowing for ordinary crimes | |
Asia | 14 |
Europe | 1 |
Latin America & Caribbean | 12 |
Middle East & Africa | 27 |
North America | 1 |
Country (55 allowing for ordinary crimes) | Region |
China | East Asia & Pacific |
Indonesia | East Asia & Pacific |
Japan | East Asia & Pacific |
Malaysia | East Asia & Pacific |
Myanmar | East Asia & Pacific |
North Korea | East Asia & Pacific |
Singapore | East Asia & Pacific |
Taiwan | East Asia & Pacific |
Thailand | East Asia & Pacific |
Viet Nam | East Asia & Pacific |
Belarus | Europe & Central Asia |
Antigua and Barbuda | Latin America & Caribbean |
Bahamas | Latin America & Caribbean |
Barbados | Latin America & Caribbean |
Belize | Latin America & Caribbean |
Cuba | Latin America & Caribbean |
Dominica | Latin America & Caribbean |
Guyana | Latin America & Caribbean |
Jamaica | Latin America & Caribbean |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | Latin America & Caribbean |
Saint Lucia | Latin America & Caribbean |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Latin America & Caribbean |
Trinidad and Tobago | Latin America & Caribbean |
Bahrain | Middle East & North Africa |
Egypt | Middle East & North Africa |
Iran | Middle East & North Africa |
Iraq | Middle East & North Africa |
Jordan | Middle East & North Africa |
Kuwait | Middle East & North Africa |
Lebanon | Middle East & North Africa |
Libya | Middle East & North Africa |
Oman | Middle East & North Africa |
Palestine (State of) | Middle East & North Africa |
Qatar | Middle East & North Africa |
Saudi Arabia | Middle East & North Africa |
Syria | Middle East & North Africa |
United Arab Emirates | Middle East & North Africa |
Yemen | Middle East & North Africa |
United States of America | North America |
Afghanistan | South Asia |
Bangladesh | South Asia |
India | South Asia |
Pakistan | South Asia |
Botswana | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Comoros | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Ethiopia | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Gambia | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Lesotho | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Nigeria | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Somalia | Sub-Saharan Africa |
South Sudan | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Sudan | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Uganda | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Zimbabwe | Sub-Saharan Africa |
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