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. Since the mid-1800s, many countries have abolished or discontinued the practice. In 2024, the five countries that are known to have executed the most people were, in descending order, China (1,000+), Iran (972+), Saudi Arabia (345+), Iraq (63+), and Yemen (38+).

According to Amnesty International, countries fall into four categories based on their use of capital punishment. Specifically, as of 2025:

54 retain capital punishment in law and practice, to be reduced to 53 in 2026 following Lebanon's abolition of the death penalty. 23 retain capital punishment but have not used it in the last ten years and are believed to have a policy of not carrying out executions or have made a commitment not to do so. 9 retain capital punishment only for exceptional crimes such as crimes under military law or crimes committed in exceptional circumstances. 113 (including, according to Amnesty International's count, the Cook Islands, Kosovo, and Niue) have fully abolished capital punishment, to be raised to 114 with Lebanon in 2026.

From 2010 to 2019, 5 countries (Iran, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and South Sudan) were recorded to have executed offenders who were minors (under 18) when the offence was committed, which is a breach of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (ratified by all countries except the United States). This ended in 2020 by royal decree in Saudi Arabia.

During 2025, executions increased by 78%, marking the highest annual number of executions since 1981. Significant increases were recorded in several countries, including Iran, which carried out at least 2,159 executions, more than double its 2024 total; Saudi Arabia, which carried out at least 356 executions; and Singapore, where executions nearly doubled compared to the previous year. Executions also resumed in Japan, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates following periods without reported executions.

Global overview Africa Of the 54 UN member states located within Africa, 24 have fully abolished capital punishment, 3 retain capital punishment only in extraordinary circumstances (such as for treason, military offences, or offences committed during wartime), 14 retain capital punishment but have not used it in at least ten years, and 13 actively retain capital punishment.In 2018, Burkina Faso abolished capital punishment for ordinary (non-state) crimes, and Gambia announced a moratorium as a first step towards abolition. Sierra Leone fully abolished capital punishment in 2021, as did the Central African Republic in 2022, followed by Zambia in 2023.

Americas Of the 35 UN member states located within the Americas, 16 have fully abolished capital punishment, 5 retain capital punishment only in extraordinary circumstances (such as for treason, military offences, or offences committed during wartime), 13 retain capital punishment but have not used it in at least ten years, and 1 actively retains capital punishment. Since 2008, the United States has been the only country in the Americas (and therefore also North America) to carry out executions. Capital punishment is legal in the federal government, military, 27 states (of which only 16 are considered retentionists; 7 are under moratoria and 4 are abolitionists-in-practice with no executions in over ten years), and 1 territory (American Samoa; considered an abolitionist-in-practice with no executions since 1939). Canada and Mexico have both fully abolished capital punishment. In the Caribbean, capital punishment has only been fully abolished by the Dominican Republic and Haiti (1969 and 1987, respectively). All other Caribbean countries are considered abolitionists-in-practice. In Central and South America, capital punishment has mostly been fully abolished, with the exceptions of Guatemala, El Salvador, Brazil, Peru, and Chile, which retain capital punishment in extraordinary circumstances (generally being for treason, military crimes, or crimes during wartime), and Belize and Guyana, which are both considered abolitionists-in-practice.

Asia Of the 47 UN member states and 1 UN observer state located within Asia, 16 have fully abolished capital punishment, 1 retains capital punishment only in extraordinary circumstances (such as for treason, military offences, or offences committed during wartime), 8 retain capital punishment but have not used it in at least ten years, and 23 actively retain capital punishment. China is the world's most prolific executioner; according to Amnesty International, China executes more people than the rest of the world combined each year, but this does not apply in Hong Kong and Macau, since both special administrative regions have abolished capital punishment.

India occasionally executes criminals, carrying out just 30 executions from 1991 to 2020. India most recently executed 4 perpetrators of a 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder (the Nirbhaya case) in March 2020. Japan sometimes executes criminals, carrying out 134 executions since 1993. Japan most recently executed Takahiro Shiraishi in June 2025. According to a 2017 report by the National Human Rights Commission from Capital punishment in Myanmar, over 700 prisoners had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.

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 in April 2022, and Tangaraju Suppiah who was hanged in April 2023. In July 2023, a convicted drug trafficker named Saridewi binte Djamani was executed, becoming the first female offender hanged in Singapore in 19 years, after the 2004 hanging of Yen May Woen. Singapore's first execution for murder since 2019 was carried out in February 2024, when Bangladeshi painter Ahmed Salim was hanged for murdering his ex-girlfriend in 2018.

Indonesia occasionally executes prisoners, and while it has rarely done so in cases of murder, Indonesia has some of the most stringent narcotics laws in the world, so it is often used for drug traffickers. In June 2025, a trial for three British citizens, following a deal to trade approximately one kilogram of cocaine, sees the accused potentially facing capital punishment. Taiwan executes inmates sporadically over the course of several years. The country retains capital punishment for the "most heinous" cases. In January 2025, Huang Lin-kai became the first prisoner to be put to death under President Lai Ching-te and the first since 2020.

Europe

Of the 43 UN member states and 1 UN observer state located within Europe, 42 have fully abolished capital punishment, 0 retain capital punishment only in extraordinary circumstances (such as for treason, military offences, or offences committed during wartime), 1 retains capital punishment but has not used it in at least ten years (Russia), and 1 actively retains capital punishment (Belarus). The European Union (EU) holds a strong position against capital punishment; its abolition is a key objective for the EU's human rights policy. Abolition is a pre-condition for membership in the EU. 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 capital punishment 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 later reintroduced from 1936 to 1990 during the dictatorial and communist eras; Portugal also reintroduced the death penalty in 1916 for military crimes in wartime with a foreign country in the theatre of war, and only abolished it again in 1976; in Italy the nationwide ban on capital punishment dates from 1889 (it 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. The last execution in the United Kingdom took place in England in 1964, but the last sentence was passed nine years later; it was abolished for murder in 1965 and for the remaining offences in 1998. In 2012, Latvia became the most recent European country to abolish capital punishment.

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 executions on Russian territory were carried out in 1999 in Chechnya, "which de facto was not then under control of the Russian Federation". 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 capital punishment, but it was promptly reintroduced by the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics after their secession from Ukraine in 2014.

Oceania Of the 14 UN member states located within Oceania, 13 have fully abolished capital punishment, 0 retain capital punishment only in extraordinary circumstances (such as for treason, military offences, or offences committed during wartime), 1 retains capital punishment but has not used it in at least ten years, and 0 actively retain capital punishment. The last UN member state that has not yet fully abolished capital punishment is Tonga, which has not used it since 1982 and is therefore an abolitionist-in-practice.

Human Development Index There are 73 sovereign states with a very high human development according to the 2023 Human Development Index list. Of these:

11 (15.07 %) actively retain capital punishment: Bahrain, Belarus, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. 8 (10.96 %) permit its use, 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: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Brunei, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, South Korea, and Trinidad and Tobago. 2 (2.74 %) have abolished it for all crimes except those committed under exceptional circumstances (such as during war): Chile and Israel. 52 (71.23 %) have completely abolished it: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

Singapore has both the highest Human Development Index and planetary pressures–adjusted HDI of all the countries that retain capital punishment, while the United Arab Emirates has the highest inequality-adjusted HDI.

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