Capital punishment by country

  Retentionist countries: 54

  Abolitionist-in-practice countries (have not executed anyone during the last decade or more and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions): 29

  Abolitionist-in-practice countries (have not executed anyone during the last 14 or more years), and abolitionist-in-law for all crimes except those committed under exceptional circumstances (such as crimes committed in wartime): 7

  Abolitionist countries: 105

The following is a summary of the use of capital punishment by country.

Global overview

Historically, capital punishment has been used in almost every part of the world. Currently, the large majority of countries have either abolished or discontinued the practice. The U.S. is the most developed country to use the death penalty. The use of capital punishment is usually divided into the four categories set out below. As of November 2017, of the 195 independent states that are UN members or have UN observer status:

• 54 retain it in both law and practice.
• 29 have abolished it de facto, namely, according to Amnesty International standards, that they have not executed anyone during the last decade or more and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions.
• 7 have abolished it de facto, namely that they have not executed anyone during the last 14 or more years and have abolished it de jure, but retain it for exceptional or special circumstances (such as crimes committed in wartime).
• 105 have abolished it for all crimes, most recently: Madagascar (2015), Fiji (2015), Republic of the Congo (2015), Suriname (2015), Nauru (2016), Benin (2016), Mongolia (2017), Guinea (2017), Burkina Faso (2018).

Execution of minors

Since 2009, Iran and Saudi Arabia have executed offenders who were under the age of 18 (or 21) at the time the crime was committed.

Public execution

In 2013, public executions were carried out by the governments of Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia.

Extrajudicial execution

In some countries (like the Philippines and the United States of America) the practice of extrajudicial execution outside their own formal legal frameworks occurs sporadically or systematically. Information on this is not covered in this article.

Countries categorized as 'very high' on Human Development Index

Of the countries/regions categorized as 'very high' on the Human Development Index, 8 countries perform capital punishment: the United States, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Taiwan. In South Korea and Russia, there is a moratorium. Qatar and Brunei have a moratorium in practice. In Israel and Chile, it can only be used for crimes committed in wartime.

Africa

In Africa, there are several countries that use the death penalty. Chad abolished the death penalty in 2014, but reintroduced it for acts of terrorism in 2015. Botswana and Nigeria are examples of countries that still execute people. Most recently, Burkina Faso repealed the death penalty in 2018. In 2018, The Gambia announced a moratorium as a first step toward abolition.

Americas

In the Caribbean countries, the death penalty exists at least de jure, except in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which abolished it in 1966 and 1987, respectively. 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 for years. In Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Peru, the death penalty is only legal in exceptional/special circumstances such as for crimes committed in wartime and was abolished for other crimes. Opinion polls state sentiment for governments to return to capital punishment remains high in many Caribbean countries and pressure on politicians to retain it factors high.

Asia

Most executions worldwide take place in Asia. China is the world's most active death penalty country. In Iran and Saudi Arabia, the numbers of executions are also very high. In North Korea, the state utilizes the death penalty against high level criminals and those suspected of committing "grave" offenses. Of the 8 countries with a “very high” Human Development Index which practice executions, 7 are in Asia: Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. In 2017 Mongolia repealed the death penalty. In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte wants to restore executions, but the proposal to do so failed to pass the Senate. Turkish President Recep Erdogan has stated that he wants to restore capital punishment, but this has not happened. India executes criminals only in extreme cases. Only 26 executions have taken place in India since 1991, the last of the terrorist Yakub Memon in 2015.

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 and the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic continue to actively use capital punishment.

Russian Federation and former Soviet republics

Russia retains the death penalty in law, but there is a moratorium. The last execution on Russian territory was in Chechnya in 1999. Of the other former Soviet republics, only Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan have not formally abolished capital punishment, and only Belarus uses it in practice. In Kazakhstan, it may only be used in exceptional/special circumstances such as for crimes committed in wartime, and only one individual is on death row.

Oceania

Nearly all countries in this region have abolished the death penalty as a form of punishment, and the two countries that still have it in law (Papua New Guinea and Tonga) have not used it in years. The last known executions in this region took place in Tonga in 1982.

Numbers executed in 2017

At least 23 countries performed executions in 2017:

• Africa (3 countries): Egypt (35+), Somalia (24 [Puntland 12, Federal Government of Somalia 12]), South Sudan (4)
• Americas (1 country): United States (23)
• Asia-Pacific (18 countries): Afghanistan (5), Bahrain (3), Bangladesh (6), China (1,551+), Iran (525+), Iraq (111+), Japan (4), Jordan (15), Kuwait (7), Malaysia (4), North Korea (11+), Pakistan (65+), State of Palestine (6 [Hamas authorities, Gaza]), Saudi Arabia (130+), Singapore (8), Syria (unknown number), United Arab Emirates (1), Vietnam (unknown number), Yemen (2+)
• Europe (1 country): Belarus (2)

Precise numbers are not available for many countries, so the total number of executions is unknown. Other countries like Libya conducted extrajudicial executions.

Capital punishment by continents

Africa

Of the 54 independent states in Africa that are UN members:

• 15 (28%) maintain the death penalty in both law and practice.
• 18 (33%) 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, or it is under a moratorium.
• 21 (39%) have 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.

The information above is accurate as of 2017, when Guinea abolished capital punishment. Chad abolished the death penalty in 2014, but restored it for terrorism in 2015.

• In 2017, Egypt was Africa's leading executioner. Libya has conducted extrajudicial executions. This century the following African countries have abolished capital punishment; Ivory Coast (2000), Senegal (2004), Rwanda (2007), Burundi (2009), Togo (2009), Gabon (2010), Congo (2015), Madagascar (2015), Benin (2016), Guinea (2017), and Burkina Faso (2018).

In 2018, The Gambia announced a moratorium as a first step toward abolition.

Executions in Africa in 2017: Egypt (35+), Somalia (24), South Sudan (4)
Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.

Key	Country	Year of last execution	Executions 2017	Year abolished	Notes
	Algeria	1993		n/a	Firing Squad, shooting. Death penalty for treason; espionage; aggravated murder; castration resulting in death; arson (or destruction using explosive devices) of buildings, vehicles or harvests resulting in death; intentional destruction of military equipment resulting in death; attempts to change the regime or actions aimed at incitement; destruction of territory; sabotage to public and economic utilities; massacres and slaughters; participation in armed bands or in insurrectionary movements; counterfeiting; terrorism; acts of torture or cruelty; kidnapping; aggravated theft; some military offences; poisoning; attempting a death-eligible offense; some cases of recidivism and perjury leading to a death sentence pronounced. Currently under a moratorium. On 20 December 2012, Algeria co-sponsored and voted in favour of the Resolution on a Moratorium on the Use of the Death Penalty at the UN General Assembly.
	Angola	*None since independence in 1975		1992	Abolished in 1992 by Constitution
	Benin	1987		2016	On 6 July 2012, Benin acceded to the Second Additional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which makes Benin abolitionist. The decision was upheld by the Constitutional Court in January 2016 although the death penalty is still present in statutes.
	Botswana	2018		n/a	Hanging, and state also has power to determine method of execution by offense committed. Death penalty for murder; espionage; treason; attempt on the life of the head of state; mutiny; desertion in the face of the enemy, aggravated piracy and terrorism. Persons excused from capital punishment are pregnant women, teenagers who were younger than 18 at time of crime, and the mentally ill. As of 2016, there was one man suspected of being hanged.
	Burkina Faso	1988		2018	Burkina Faso’s parliament abolished the death penalty in a new penal code in 2018.
	Burundi	2000		2009	Death penalty abolished in revised 2009 criminal code. Extrajudicial executions are still commonplace. Despite having abolished the death penalty, Burundi voted against the UN Moratorium on capital punishment in 2016.
	Cameroon	1997		n/a	Hanging, firing squad, shooting. Death penalty for secession; espionage; treason; terrorism; aggravated murder; premeditated murder; violent theft leading to death or causing grievous bodily harm; abduction of a minor resulting in the death of that minor; assault on a state employee with intent to kill; attempt of a death-eligible crime and conspiracy to commit a death-eligible crime; plundering by gangs using force during times of war and incitement to war. In February 2014, the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, commuted all persons condemned to the death penalty to life in prison. The decree commuted their sentences to 25 years incarceration. However, death sentences have continued to be handed down as of 2016.
	Cape Verde	*None since independence in 1975		1981	Last execution when a colony of Portugal was 1835. Abolished in 1981 by Constitution.
	Central African Republic	1981		n/a	Firing squad. Death penalty for treason; espionage; charlatanism; witchcraft; assassination; murder; aggravated murder; terrorism; rape; armed robbery; kidnapping; repeated assault on or negligence of a child resulting in death; castration resulting in death; making a false accusation leading to a person being sentenced to death; using torture in connection with another crime; assaulting a member of government or parliament, a judge or a police officer with the intent to kill; attempting a death-eligible crime; some cases of recidivism; genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity
	Chad	2015		n/a	Firing Squad, shooting. Death penalty for aggravated murder, arson, kidnapping resulting in the death of the victim, terrorism-related crimes, treason, espionage, assaulting a public official, attempting murder by poisoning, committing torture or other barbarous acts, and military offenses. Persons excused from capital punishment are women with small children, women who are pregnant, teenagers who were under 18 at time of crime, and the mentally ill. Capital punishment was abolished in 2014, but then reintroduced the following year.
	Comoros	1997		n/a	Firing squad. Death penalty for aggravated murder, murder, public comments, rape (if it results in the death of the victim), barbaric actions including torture, and aggravated rape. Persons excluded from capital punishment are pregnant women, women with small children, teenagers who were under 18 at the time of the crime, and the mentally ill.
	Congo	1982		2015	Death penalty abolished November 2015 by constitution.
	DR Congo	2003		n/a	Hanging, shooting. Death penalty for murder, aggravated murder, treason, destruction of military facilities resulting in death, imposing superstitious trials by ordeal resulting in death, terrorism, armed robbery, drug trafficking and drug possession during wartime, espionage, misappropriation by a public prosecutor of seized or confiscated goods in time of war, some military offences, war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
	Djibouti	*None since independence in 1977		1995
	Egypt	2018	35+	n/a	Hanging/firing squad. Death penalty for rape (if the victim is also kidnapped); murder; treason; terrorism; espionage; perjury causing wrongful execution and organized drug trafficking. Those excused from the death penalty are: women with small children, women who are pregnant, teenagers who were under 18 at the time of the crime, and the mentally ill. In Egypt, it is believed that at least 1,700 people were executed under the death penalty, and 1,413 death sentences alone were issued between 2007 and 2014. Since the beginning of 2015, there have been reports of at least 354 death sentences carried out; however, numbers are not totally reliable, for the government's secrecy surrounding capital punishment prevents them from releasing total information.
	Equatorial Guinea	2014		n/a	Hanging, firing squad. Death penalty for murder, treason, terrorism, armed robbery, espionage, piracy, war crimes, some military offences and crimes against humanity.
	Eritrea	*None since independence in 1993		n/a	Hanging, shooting. Last execution when part of Ethiopia was 1989. Death penalty for murder, armed robbery, espionage, treason, economic crimes, military offenses, war crimes and genocide. At least one execution may have been carried out between 1999 and 2008, but this remains unconfirmed.
	Ethiopia	2007		n/a	Firing squad. Death penalty for murder, robbery resulting in death or permanent disability of the victim, armed robbery, terrorism, some economic crimes, espionage, treason, certain military offences, armed conspiracy, war crimes, genocide, attempted capital offenses, certain economic crimes in time of war and outrages against the constitution
	Gabon	1981		2010	Abolished in February 2010
	Gambia	2012		n/a	Hanging, firing squad. Death penalty for treason, murder and terrorism. Capital punishment was abolished in 1993 but was reinstated by Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council in August 1995 In 2018, Gambia announced a moratorium on the death penalty.
	Ghana	1993		n/a	Firing squad, hanging. Death penalty for murder; treason; armed robbery In 2014, it was agreed that a referendum would be held on several constitutional amendments including the abolition of capital punishment.
	Guinea	2001		2017	Abolished 2016 for ordinary crimes, 2017 for all crimes.
	Guinea-Bissau	1986		1993	Abolished 1993 by Constitution.
	Ivory Coast	*None since independence in 1960		2000
	Kenya	1987		n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for terrorism; terrorism acts; high treason; murder, armed robbery, treason, military offenses and administering an oath purported to bind a person to commit a capital offense. On 3 August 2009, the death sentences of all 4,000 death row inmates were commuted to life imprisonment, and government studies were ordered to determine if the death penalty has any impact on crime.
	Lesotho	1995		n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for murder, treason, rape, and military offenses such as mutiny.
	Liberia	1995		n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for aggravated murder, armed robbery, terrorism, "mercenarism" resulting in death, hijacking, treason and espionage. On 16 September 2005, Liberia acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, abolishing the death penalty, but re-introduced elements of it in July 2008.
	Libya	2010		n/a	Firing squad, shooting. Libya executed more people (18) in 2010, than any other African state. Current laws allow capital punishment for high treason; attempt to forcibly change the form of government; premeditated murder; aggravated murder; terrorism; drug trafficking; robbery resulting in death; espionage and military offences such as assisting the enemy or undermining the defense or the territorial integrity of the State
	Madagascar	1958		2015	Abolished 10 December 2014 Earlier, on 24 September 2012, Madagascar had signed the Second Additional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
	Malawi	1992		n/a	Hanging is used. Death penalty for murder; rape; violent robbery; burglary; treason; housebreaking and military offenses.
	Mali	1980		n/a	Executions by firing squad. Death penalty for aggravated murder; terrorism; violent robbery, armed robbery or gang-robbery; arson; kidnapping; treason; espionage; certain military offenses; crimes against humanity; genocide; assaulting on-duty state employees with the intention of causing death; poisoning or mass poisoning of water supplies; committing torture or barbarous acts in the course of a serious offense and attempting a death-eligible crime. Currently, no individual has been executed since 1980, making Mali a de facto abolitionist country.
	Mauritania	1987		n/a	Death penalty for homosexuality, sodomy, apostasy (no recorded executions), blasphemy, adultery, murder, aggravated murder, terrorism, torture, rape, armed robbery, attempted armed robbery, arson, accomplice to a death-eligible crime, assaulting a judge or public official in the course of his duties resulting in his death, kidnapping resulting in death, abandoning a child or an incapacitated person causing his/her death, espionage, treason, perjury causing wrongful execution, some cases of repeat offences and the voluntary destruction of buildings, bridges, dams or roads causing deaths.
	Mauritius	1987		1995
	Morocco	1993		n/a	Death penalty for terrorism, treason, espionage, corruption, perjury causing wrongful execution and aggravated murder. In December 2013 a parliamentary opposition group filed a bill to abolish the death penalty in Morocco. The MP who introduced the bill said he was "optimistic" about the bill passing "in view of the current reform movement in Morocco".
	Mozambique	1986		1990	Abolished November 1990 by Constitution
	Namibia	*None since independence in 1990		1990	Last execution when occupied by South Africa was in 1988. Abolished March 1990 by Constitution.
	Niger	1976		n/a	Executions by firing squad. Death penalty allowed for aggravated murder; castration resulting in death; kidnapping a minor resulting in death; terrorism; robbery; treason; espionage; genocide; crimes against humanity; attempt or conspiracy to commit genocide, crimes against humanity and certain war crimes; torture; human trafficking; poisoning; harboring criminals; perjury leading to a person being sentenced to death; attempting to commit a death-eligible offense and redicivism in case of most serious offenses. Abolitionist de facto as the last execution took place in 1976.
	Nigeria	2016		n/a	Death penalty for murder; blasphemy; homosexuality; adultery; treason; rape; robbery; incest; assisting the suicide of a person legally unable to consent; perjury in a capital case causing wrongful execution; terrorism; terrorist acts; some military offences; sodomy; kidnapping and practice of indigenous beliefs in states applying Shariah law. Each of the 36 states has its own laws. In the north of the country, Sharia (Islamic law) is used. In Imo State, a bill that provided capital punishment for kidnapping was signed into law. Southern states of Nigeria have imposed a moratorium on the death penalty since 2004.
	Rwanda	1998		2007	Since some of the perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide fled to countries that refuse to extradite suspects to countries that use capital punishment, the Rwandan parliament voted to abolish capital punishment in 2007.
	São Tomé and Príncipe	*None since independence in 1975		1990	Abolished September 1990 by Constitution
	Senegal	1967		2004
	Seychelles	*None since independence in 1976		1993	Abolished June 1993 by Constitution
	Sierra Leone	1998		n/a	Death penalty for treason; murder; aggravated robbery. Under the Special Court for Sierra Leone the death penalty is not a punishment for war crimes
	Somalia	2018	24 (12 in Puntland)	n/a	Hanging, firing squad or stoning. Somalia is the only African state that carries out public executions. The Transitional Federal Government laws allowed for execution (in the limited area of the country it used to control) for murder, terrorism, treason, espionage, some military offences, blasphemy, apostasy and adultery.
	South Africa	1989		1995	The last execution by the South African government was on 14 November 1989. An execution occurred in the internationally unrecognised "homeland" of Venda in 1991. Capital punishment was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court on 6 June 1995 in the case of S v Makwanyane and Another. In 1997 the Criminal Law Amendment Act formally removed the invalidated provisions from the statute-book, and made provision for the resentencing of prisoners previously sentenced to death. On 25 May 2005 the Constitutional Court ordered that all remaining death sentences in the country be set aside and the prisoners resentenced as soon as possible.
	South Sudan	2017	4	n/a	Death penalty for treason; insurgency, banditry, sabotage or terrorism resulting in death; perjury in a capital case leading to wrongful execution; murder; attempted murder causing injury by a person sentenced to life for a previous murder; brigandage with murder; and drug dealing under aggravated circumstances.
	Sudan	2018		n/a	Garrotte. Death penalty for sodomy, waging war against the state, apostasy, prostitution, homosexuality, drug trafficking, treason, perjury in a capital case causing wrongful execution, espionage, acts that may endanger the independence or unity of the state, murder, armed robbery, abetting the suicide of an individual unable to give legal consent, terrorism, rape and incest committed by a married offender.
	Eswatini	1983		n/a	Death penalty for murder; treason
	Tanzania	1994		n/a	Death penalty for murder; treason; military offenses; mutiny by prison officers; and abortion (in Zanzibar semi-autonomous region)
	Togo	1978		2009
	Tunisia	1991		n/a	Death penalty for murder; terrorism; terrorism acts; violence and aggression; attacks against the external security of the state; kidnapping and sequestration resulting in death; treason; espionage; rape; arson; military offenses; attempt of a death-eligible offense and assault on a judge on duty, with threat or use of a weapon. On 6 January 2014 the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) voted for maintaining capital punishment in the upcoming constitution in Tunisia. The votes were by 135 yes out of a total of 174. Since 2015, it has been possible to give the death penalty for terrorism.
	Uganda	2005		n/a	Death penalty for murder; terrorism; kidnapping; rape; robbery if the offender uses or threatens to use a deadly weapon, resulting in death or causing "grievous harm" to anyone; smuggling if the offender uses or threatens to use a deadly weapon, resulting in death or causing "grievous harm" to anyone; treason and some military offences. In 2009, the Supreme Court upheld a 2005 Constitutional Court ruling that although the death penalty was constitutional, its use as a mandatory punishment for certain crimes was not.
	Zambia	1997		n/a	Death penalty for murder; aggravated robbery; high treason. President Levy Mwanawasa stated in 2004 that "For as long as I remain President, I will not execute a death warrant."
	Zimbabwe	2003		n/a	Death penalty for murder; high treason; terrorism; some military offences; attempted murder, incitement or conspiracy to commit murder; war crimes and genocide.

Americas

Of the 35 independent states in the Americas that are UN members:

• 13 (37%) maintain the death penalty in both law and practice.
• 5 (14%) retain it for crimes committed in exceptional circumstances (such as in time of war).
• 1 (3%) 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, or it is under a moratorium.
• 16 (46%) have abolished capital punishment.

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 (2018), the United States is the only country in the Americas to conduct executions. The last execution elsewhere in the region 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 2017: United States (23).

Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.

Key	Country	Year of last execution	Executions 2017	Year abolished	Notes
	Antigua and Barbuda	1991		n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for murder and treason. Currently, no individual is under the sentence of death, as the last death sentence in the country was commuted in 2016.
	Argentina	1956		2009 (military) 1984 (civilian)	Constitution of 1853 states "The penalty of death for political offences, all kinds of torture, and flogging, are forever abolished." And was complety abolished by the Penal Code of 30 April 1922. Despite this it was reinstated on several occasions: Between 6 September 1930 by martial law until 20 February 1932. Between 9 June 1956 by martial law imposing summary executions and abolished on 13 June 1956. Between 2 June 1970 and abolished on 27 May 1973. Between 25 June 1976 and finally abolished on 9 August 1984. On 26 August 2008, a new Code of Military Justice was promulgated that abolished death penalty. The new Code came into effect 6 months later, on 26 February 2009.
	Bahamas	2000		n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for treason; piracy; murder. Currently no individual is under the sentence of death, as the last death sentence in the country was commuted in 2016.
	Barbados	1984		n/a	Death penalty for murder; terrorism; participating in a mutiny; treason and espionage. Presently under review before the IACHR despite strong national support.
	Belize	1985		n/a	Death penalty for murder, except where extenuating circumstances can be proved, aggravated murder, war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, some military offences and treason.
	Bolivia	1974		2013	Abolished for ordinary crimes 1997. "The death penalty does not exist" (Article 15).
	Brazil	1876		1978 (Civilian) N/a (Military)	Hanging (in the past, for civil offences), firing squad (military offences). Brazil has always maintained the death penalty in wartime as part of its Military Code but, after Brazil became a Republic in 1889, capital punishment for civil offenses or for military offences committed in peacetime was abolished by the first republican Constitution, adopted in 1891. The penalty for crimes committed in peacetime was then reinstated (in 1938-46 and 1969-74), but on those occasions it was restricted to acts of terrorism or subversion considered "internal warfare". Only one civilian was sentenced to death in the republican period, in 1969, but the sentence was commuted and was not carried out. In the republican era, all military death sentences imposed for crimes committed during wartime (the Second World War was Brazil's last international military conflict) were similarly commuted and not carried out. The current Constitution of Brazil (1988) expressly forbids the use of capital punishment, except for military offences committed during a war duly declared by Congress. The last person to suffer the death penalty in Brazil was executed in 1876, during the Imperial era. After 1876, Emperor Pedro II adopted in practice an abolitionist policy through his prerrogative of Mercy as Head of State, by directing that all death sentences be submitted by the Courts to the Imperial Government for examination regarding commutation (even without a request for pardon or commutation from the person condemned), and by granting commutations for all death sentences that were passed. For more information see Capital punishment in Brazil.
	Canada	1962 (military c.1945)		1998	Abolished in 1976 for ordinary crimes; abolished 1998 for military offences (last used in 1945). For more information see Capital punishment in Canada
	Chile	1985		2001 (Civilian) N/A (Military)	Shooting. Death penalty for war crimes and crimes against humanity during times of war. Abolished from civil justice in 2001.
	Colombia	1909		1910	Abolished in 1910 by Constitutional reform. Prohibited by the Colombian Constitution of 1991: "The right to life is inviolable. There will be no death penalty."
	Costa Rica	1859		1877	Abolished 1877 by Constitution
	Cuba	2003		n/a	Firing squad. Death penalty for murder, attempted murder, hijacking, acts of terrorism, treason, espionage, political offenses, child rape, molestation of a child under 12 years of age with aggravating factors, rape of an adult with aggravating factors, rape of an adult that results in death, illness or grievous bodily harm, robbery with aggravating factors, drug offenses, production of child pornography, child trafficking, child prostitution, child corruption, piracy, working as a mercenary, apartheid, genocide, pedophilia. De facto abolitionist as the last execution took place on 11 April 2003. The last death sentences were commuted in 2010. See also Capital punishment in Cuba
	Dominica	1986		n/a	Executions by hanging. Death penalty for aggravated murder and treason.
	Dominican Republic	1966		1966	Abolished in 1966 by Constitution.
	Ecuador	1884		1906	Abolished 1906 by Constitution.
	El Salvador	1973		1983 (Civilian) N/A (Military)	May be imposed only in cases provided by military laws during a state of international war. Abolished for other crimes 1983.
	Grenada	1983		n/a
	Guatemala	2000		2017 (Civilian) N/A (Military)	Lethal injection. Until 2017, death penalty for murder, espionage, treason, drug trafficking, kidnapping, torture, and terrorism. Abolished for civil cases in 2017.
	Guyana	1997		n/a	Death penalty for terrorist acts; murder, treason and armed robbery, piracy, drug trafficking, and terrorist offences resulting in death. While the constitutional states that the death penalty is not a mandatory punishment, many provisions of the criminal code suggests that the death penalty may be mandatory for these crimes as no alternatives to such sentence of death is found under any law.
	Haiti	1972		1987	Abolished 1987 by Constitution.
	Honduras	1940		1956	Abolished 1956 by Constitution.
	Jamaica	1988		n/a	Death penalty for murder.
	Mexico	1961 – Military 1937 – Civilian		1976	Abolished for all crimes in 2005. See also Capital punishment in Mexico.
	Nicaragua	1930		1979	Abolished 1979 by Constitution
	Panama	*None since independence in 1903		1903	Abolished 1903 by Constitution.
	Paraguay	1928		1992	Abolished 1992 by Constitution
	Peru	1979		1979 (Civilian) N/A (Military)	Firing squad. Death penalty for treason; terrorism; espionage; genocide; mutiny; desertion in times of war. Abolished for other crimes 1979.
	Saint Kitts and Nevis	2008		n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for murder and treason
	Saint Lucia	1995		n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for murder; treason
	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	1995		n/a	Death penalty for murder; treason
	Suriname	1982		2015	Abolished 2015.
	Trinidad and Tobago	1999		n/a	Death penalty for murder; treason
	United States	2018	23	n/a	Methods vary by state, federal, and military policy, but include lethal injection, hanging, firing squad, the electric chair, and the gas chamber. Federal law provides the death penalty for many homicide-related crimes, espionage, treason, terrorism, murder, robbery, and drug trafficking. 31 of the 50 states currently have the death penalty. Of the non-state territories, American Samoa still has capital punishment as a local statute, and the others have abolished it. The Supreme Court has severely limited the crimes that the death penalty can be a punishment for. It has also abolished the death penalty for crimes committed by a person under the age of 18. Sentences of death may be handed down by a jury or a judge (upon a bench trial or a guilty plea). See Capital punishment in the United States.
	Uruguay	1902		1907	Abolished by the "Law No. 3238" on 23 September 1907 and by the Constitution of 1918.
	Venezuela	*None since independence in 1830		1863	Abolished 1863 by Constitution

Asia

Of the 44 independent countries in Asia that are UN member or observer states:

• 25 (44%) maintain the death penalty in both law and practice.
• 7 (16%) 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, or it is under a moratorium.
• 2 (3%) retain it for crimes committed in exceptional circumstances (such as in time of war).
• 10 (37%) have abolished it.

The information above is accurate as of 2017, when Mongolia abolished the death penalty, and does not include Taiwan, which is not currently a UN member; Taiwan practises the death penalty by shooting, and conducted one execution in 2016. Hong Kong and Macau are also listed below but not included in the figures above as they do not have UN membership separate from China.

• In 2017, Asia had the world's five leading practitioners of capital punishment – China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Pakistan. The most recent countries to abolish capital punishment in Asia are Timor-Leste (2002), Bhutan (2004), Philippines (2006), Kyrgyzstan (2007), Uzbekistan (2008), and Mongolia (2017).

Executions in 2017 as amnesty international: China (1,551+), North Korea (unknown number), Iran (506+), Iraq (125+), Saudi Arabia (146), Yemen (2+), Afghanistan (5), Japan (4), Palestine (6), Malaysia (4), Singapore (8), Syria (unknown number), Bangladesh (6), Pakistan (60+), Bahrain (3), Jordan (15), Kuwait (7), United Arab Emirates (1), Vietnam (unknown number).

Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.

Key	Country	Year of last execution	Executions 2017	Year abolished	Notes
	Afghanistan	2018	5	n/a	Hanging; shooting. Current laws allow capital punishment for aggravated murder, murder, arson, unintentional death to a child, terrorism -related offenses, treason, espionage, adultery (including sex before marriage), consensual homosexual sex, apostasy, and giving false witness. Categories of persons excused from capital punishment are teenagers who were under 18 at time of crime, and pregnant women.
	Bahrain	2017	3	n/a	Death penalty for premeditated murder; aggravated murder; rape, sexual assault or statutory rape; kidnapping; rape of child; arson; assault; deliberately obstructing funerals or memorial services; certain crimes against property, transportation or agriculture under aggravating circumstances; terrorism; plotting to topple the regime; collaborating with a foreign hostile country; threatening the life of the Emir; defiance of military orders in time of war or martial law; perjury causing wrongful execution; treason; drug trafficking and espionage
	Bangladesh	2017	6	n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for murder; drug offences; sodomy; kidnapping and trafficking in children for immoral or illegal purposes; human trafficking; kidnapping a person (especially children or women) to force him/her to engage in prostitution and expose him/her to sexual exploitation/slavery; terrorism; rape; armed robbery; sedition; sabotage; hijacking planes; military offences such as abetting mutiny, cowardice or desertion; attempted dowry murder; abetting or conspiring to commit capital offenses; perjury causing wrongful execution; espionage; treason and war crimes.
	Bhutan	1974		2004
	Brunei	*None since independence in 1984		n/a	Hanging is used. Last execution when a protectorate of Britain was in 1957. Death penalty for murder; unlawful possession of firearms and explosives; possession of heroin or morphine of more than 15 grams, cocaine of more than 30 grams, cannabis of more than 500 grams, syabu or methamphetamine of more than 50 grams, or opium of more than 1.2 kg; terrorism; abetting the suicide of a person unable to give legal consent; arson; kidnapping; abetting a successful mutiny; treason and perjury resulting in the conviction of an innocent defendant of a capital offense. A new penal code was introduced in April 2014 and introduced the death penalty for male same-sex acts if one of the parties is Muslim (by stoning); rape; adultery; apostasy; sodomy; extramarital sexual relations for Muslims; insulting any verse of the Quran and Hadith; blasphemy and declaring oneself a prophet or non-Muslim.
	Cambodia	1989		1989	Abolished in 1989 by Constitution.
	China	2018	>1,551	n/a	Shooting (firing squad); lethal injection. China carries out far more executions than all of the rest of the world combined, and is the only country in the world that routinely executes thousands of people every year. On 25 February 2011 China's newly revised Criminal Law reduced the number of crimes punishable by death by 13, from 68 to 55. Laws allow capital punishment for embezzlement; rape (particularly of children); fraud; bombing; flooding; rioting; separatism; armed rebellion; collaborationism; political dissidence; subversion; spreading poisons/hazardous substances; people trafficking; forcing a person to engage in prostitution (especially children, often after kidnapping or rape); piracy; theft; drug trafficking; corruption; arson; aggravated assault; aircraft hijacking resulting in death; producing or selling tainted food or fake medicine resulting in death or serious medical injury; participating in an armed prison riot or jailbreak; murder; aggravated murder; burglary; kidnapping; robbery; armed robbery; espionage; treason; poaching; military offences (like insubordination, cowardice); sabotaging electricity, gas, fuel, petroleum, weapons, flammables, explosives and military communications/installations; illegal possession, transport, smuggling, or selling of explosives or firearms; illegally manufacturing, selling, transporting or storing hazardous materials; trafficking or smuggling nuclear materials; endangerment of national security and terrorism. Even the higher sections of Chinese society are not exempt from the death penalty, as billionaire Liu Han was executed 9 February 2015. See also capital punishment in the People's Republic of China.
	Hong Kong	1966		1993	Main article: Capital punishment in Hong Kong It was last used in 1966 and abolished in 1993 by the then British colonial government.
	India	2015		n/a	Hanging, shooting can be used in the military court-martial system. Death penalty for murder; instigating a minor's or a mentally ill's suicide; treason; terrorism; a second conviction for drug trafficking; aircraft hijacking; aggravated robbery; espionage; kidnapping; being a party to a criminal conspiracy to commit a capital offence; attempted murder by those sentenced to life imprisonment if the attempt results in harm to the victim; perjury causing wrongful execution; aggravated rape/gang-rape; drug smuggling under aggravated circumstances; abetting sati, mutiny and its abetting; causing explosions which can endanger life or property and a few military offences like desertion. Military offences may be punished with a firing squad. See also capital punishment in India
	Indonesia	2016		n/a	Firing squad. Death penalty for murder; high treason; espionage; some acts of corruption which damage national economy or finances; aggravated gang-robbery; extortion with force or threat of force; terrorism; some military offences; genocide; crimes against humanity; piracy resulting in death; drug trafficking and developing, producing, obtaining, transferring or using of chemical weapons. 8 people including overseas nationals executed on 29 April 2015
	Iran	2018	506+	n/a	Hanging, shooting or stoning. Iran performs public executions. Iran is second only to China in the number of executions it carries out—executing hundreds every year. Current laws allow the death penalty for murder; armed robbery; drug trafficking; kidnapping; rape; burglary; child molestation; pedophilia; sodomy; homosexuality; incestuous relations; fornication; prohibited sexual relations; sexual misconduct; prostitution; rebellion; plotting to overthrow the Islamic regime; political dissidence; sabotage; arson; espionage; treason; terrorism; joining the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; certain military offenses (e.g. cowardice, assisting the enemy); apostasy; adultery; blasphemy; counterfeiting; smuggling; speculating; disrupting production; recidivist theft; extortion; immoral attitude; recidivist consumption of alcohol; producing or preparing food, drink, cosmetics or sanitary items that lead to death when consumed or used; producing and publishing pornography; using pornographic materials to solicit sex; recidivist false accusation of capital sexual offenses causing execution of an innocent person; "enmity against God" and "corruption on earth." Secret executions are widespread in the country, so that exact numbers for each year are difficult to obtain and different figures are provided by various organizations. At least 437 people have been executed in Iran in 2017. See also capital punishment in Iran.
	Iraq	2018	125+	n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for murder; endangering national security; distributing drugs; rape; incest; apostasy; espionage; treason; joining the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; robbery; armed robbery; theft; burglary; kidnapping; attacks on transport convoys; arson; rioting; killing police guards and military officers; intentionally causing a flood or attempting to cause a flood; damaging or sabotaging public structures; war crimes, crimes against humanity; genocide; financing and execution of terrorism. Suspended in June 2003 after 2003 invasion; reinstated August 2004. A total of 447 people were executed between then and the end of March 2013, with 129 in 2012 alone.
	Israel	1962		1954 (civilian) N/A (military)	Hanging; firing squad. Death penalty for crimes against humanity, high treason, genocide, and crimes against the Jewish people during wartime. Only two executions since independence in 1948: accused traitor Meir Tobiansky (posthumously acquitted) and Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann (last execution in 1962). Abolished for other crimes 1954.
	Japan	2018	4	n/a	Hanging. Murder; treason and crimes against the State. Judges usually impose death penalty in case of multiple homicides; death sentence for a single murder is extraordinary. Between 1946 and 2003 766 people were sentenced to death, 608 of whom were executed. For 40 months from 1989 to 1993 successive ministers of justice refused to authorise executions, which amounted to an informal moratorium. See also capital punishment in Japan.
	Jordan	2017	15	n/a	Hanging, shooting. Death penalty for some cases of terrorism, murder, aggravated murder, rape, aggravated robbery, drug trafficking, illegal possession and use of weapons, war crimes, espionage and treason. Executions resumed in 2014 after a hiatus.
	Kazakhstan	2003		n/a	Currently capital punishment for terrorism and crimes in wartime. Moratorium since 17 December 2003. Abolished on 30 July 2009 for other crimes. On 28 March 2011 the Presidential Commission for Human Rights in Astana asked the government to abolish capital punishment. Currently only one person, mass murderer Ruslan Kulikbayev, is on death row in Kazakhstan.
	Kiribati	*None since independence in 1979		1979
	Kuwait	2017	7	n/a	Death penalty for apostasy; drug trafficking; rape; murder; aggravated murder; kidnapping; piracy; torture; human trafficking; terrorism; certain military offences; national security crimes; espionage; treason and perjury causing execution of an innocent person
	Kyrgyzstan	*None since independence in 1991		2007	Kyrgyz authorities had extended a moratorium on executions each year since 1998. Abolished by constitution in 2007
	Laos	1989		n/a	Death penalty for murder; hostage-taking; kidnapping; committing acts of robbery against the State or against "collective assets"; obstructing an officer in the performance of his public duties and causing his death or causing him physically disabled; trafficking in women or children resulting in death, lifetime incapacity or infection by HIV/AIDS of the victim; terrorism; drug trafficking; disrupting industry, trade, agriculture or other economic activities with the intent of undermining the national economy; drug possession; treason and espionage
	Lebanon	2004		n/a	Hanging; firing squad. Death penalty for murder; aggravated murder; rape; pedophilia; terrorism; gang-robbery or gang-assault; arson against certain types of structures or sabotage of communications, transportation or industrial facilities causing death; aggravated assault; gang-assault involving torture; life-eligible crimes with recidivism; importing nuclear/toxic wastes; polluting rivers or waterways with harmful substances; some military offences (e.g. desertion); espionage and treason
	Macau	19th century		1976	Main article: Capital punishment in Macau It was last used in the 19th century and abolished in 1976 when Portugal abolished the death penalty on all its territories
	Malaysia	2017	4	n/a	Hanging. Death penalty mandatory for trafficking in dangerous drugs; discharging a firearm in the commission of a scheduled offense; accomplices in case of discharge of firearm; offenses against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's person; murder; kidnapping; burglary; robbery; terrorism and treason. Discretionary for weapons trafficking; abetting mutiny; perjury causing wrongful execution; consorting with a person carrying or having possession of arms or explosives; waging or attempting to wage war or abetting the waging of war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a Ruler or Yang di-Pertua Negeri
	Maldives	*None since independence in 1965 (1953, before independence)		n/a	Last execution when a colony of Britain was in 1952. Death penalty for murder, terrorism, treason, adultery and apostasy. 60-year moratorium lifted in 2014.
	Mongolia	2008		2017	President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj instituted a moratorium in 2010, systematically commuting all death sentences. The death penalty was formally abolished on 1 July 2017.
	Myanmar	1988		n/a	Death penalty for murder, terrorism, participating in a gang robbery if one of the robbers commits murder, abetting a successful mutiny, assault by a person under a life sentence which causing harm, assault with the intention to murder which causing only harm, perjury causing wrongful execution, high treason and drug trafficking.
	Nepal	1979		1997	Abolished 1997 by Constitution.
	North Korea	2018	unknown number	n/a	Firing squad, hanging or decapitation. North Korea performs mainly private, but also performs some public executions. Current laws allow the death penalty for drug offences; plots against national sovereignty; circulating "harmful" information; political dissidence; terrorism; espionage; treason against the Motherland or against the people; murder; watching South Korean and foreign websites, medias or movies; kidnapping; rape; assault; armed robbery; violation of Juche customs; human trafficking; illegal border crossing; committing massacres; bank robbery; grand theft; making illegal international calls without a phone card; producing and/or watching pornography; embezzlement; currency counterfeiting; black market smuggling/trafficking; damaging or deliberately destroying state property; destroying military facilities or technology; unauthorized religious activity; returning home from foreign countries after become defector; and prostitution. There have been at least 64 carried out death sentences in 2016, and in 2017 5 North Korean minister-level officials were executed by anti-aircraft guns; it is not known whether these officials were executed legally from judicial approval. No official numbers can be known because of the secrecy surrounding the topic of capital punishment within the state.
	Oman	2015		n/a	Death penalty for murder, drug trafficking, arson, piracy, terrorism, kidnapping, recividism of aggravated offenses punishable by life imprisonment, leading an armed group that engages in spreading disorder (such as by sabotage, pillage or killing), espionage, treason and perjury causing wrongful execution
	Pakistan	2018	60+	n/a	Main article: Capital punishment in Pakistan Hanging. Death penalty for murder, aggravated murder, drug smuggling, terrorism, arms trafficking, armed robbery resulting in death, certain military offenses (e.g. cowardice, assisting the enemy, abetting a successful mutiny), kidnapping, rape, gang rape, perjury in a capital case leading execution of an innocent person, hijacking, sabotage of the railway system, stripping a woman’s clothes, a scheduled offence likely to create terror or disrupt sectarian harmony, acts to strike terror or create a sense of fear and insecurity resulting in death, unlawful assembly, treason, espionage, adultery, homosexuality and blasphemy. Six-year moratorium lifted in 2014 after the Peshawar school massacre.
	Palestine	2017	6	n/a	Hamas performs public executions. Indeed, suspected political dissidents, such as accused Israel collaborators, are frequently executed, often in the street or public squares in front of large crowd to serve as warnings for people, and sometimes without trial. Death penalty for aggravated murder; murder; terrorism; treason; espionage; military offenses and some offenses resulting in death like vandalism; medical violations; felony; disobedience; violence or sedition.
	Philippines	2000		2006	Abolished in 1987 under the present Constitution, re-introduced in 1993, re-abolished on 24 June 2006 under Republic Act No. 9346. The House of Representatives voted to reinstate the death penalty for drug crimes in March 2017 however the law is still pending Senate & Presidential approval.
	Qatar	2003		n/a	Death penalty for espionage; threat to national security; apostasy (no recorded executions); homosexuality; blasphemy; murder; aggravated murder; violent robbery; arson; torture; kidnapping; terrorism; rape; drug trafficking; extortion by threat of accusation of a crime of honor; perjury causing wrongful execution and treason.
	Saudi Arabia	2018	146	n/a	Decapitation and firing squad. Saudi Arabia performs public executions. Current Islamic laws allow the use of capital punishment for many violent and nonviolent offenses which includes aggravated burglary, treason, espionage, as well as homosexuality, adultery; murder; blasphemy; apostasy; drug trafficking; rape; armed robbery; some military offences; witchcraft; sexual misconduct and terrorism. Method most often used is beheading with a scimitar, although the firing squad is sometimes used. Bodies may be put on public display.
	Singapore	2018	8	n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for terrorism; murder; treason; perjury causing wrongful execution; kidnapping; certain firearm offenses; gang-robbery resulting in death; genocide; arms trafficking; piracy; attempted murder by a convict under a life sentence; drug trafficking in more than 15 grams of heroin or morphine, 30 grams of cocaine or 500 grams of cannabis and some military offences. See also capital punishment in Singapore.
	South Korea	1997		n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for murder, aggravated murder, arson resulting in death, piracy, terrorism, kidnapping, rape, rebellion, drug trafficking, conspiracy with foreign countries, counterfeiting money and bank notes, robbery-homicide, recidivist violent robbery, treason, espionage, some military offences and other crimes. There has been an unofficial moratorium on executions since President Kim Dae-jung took office in February 1998.
	Sri Lanka	1976		n/a	Death penalty for murder; treason; perjury causing an innocent person to be executed; rape; armed robbery; drug trafficking; kidnapping with the use of a gun; extortion committed with the use of a gun; human trafficking offenses committed with the use of a gun; attempting murder with the use of a gun; causing harm with the use of a gun; assault on a public servant with the use of a gun and some military offences. Moratorium since 1976.
	Syria	2018	unknown number	n/a	Hanging is used for normal executions, and for military personnel, shooting is used. Syria performs public executions. Current laws allow the death penalty for treason; espionage; murder; arson resulting in death; attempting a death-eligible crime; recidivism for a felony punishable by forced labor for life; terrorism; political acts and military offences such as bearing arms against Syria in the ranks of the enemy, insubordination, rebellion, desertion of the armed forces to the enemy and acts of incitement under martial law or in wartime; violent robbery; subjecting a person to torture or barbaric treatment during the commission of gang-robbery; rape. Certain crimes are considered to be that of which deserve an automatic death sentence punishment, those are : membership in the Muslim Brotherhood; joining the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; drug trafficking; political dissidence and falsification of material evidence resulting in a third party being convicted for a drug offense and sentenced to death. Extrajudicial killings are commonplace in Syria. Persons excused from death row are women with small children, pregnant women, the mentally ill, the intellectually disabled, and teenagers who committed the crime under the age of 18 at the time. Since the start of the civil war, it cannot be known clearly how many people have been put on death row. As of 2014, Syria did have an execution per capita rate of 1 for every 3,000,000 persons.
	Taiwan	2016		n/a	Gun shot to heart at close range with a single gun. Lethal injection is also a legal form of execution, although there are no known instances of it being used. The condemned person lies on a mattress where doctor marks where heart is; the executioner shoots at the marked place on the condemned back. Condemned are sedated prior to execution. If the condemned person decides to be an organ donor, then the shot is aimed to the rear of the head at the brain stem. Crimes punishable by death are: aggravated murder, murder, other offences resulting in death, drug trafficking, drug possession, treason, military offences, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Those excluded from capital punishment are: the elderly, pregnant women, women with small children, the mentally ill, and teenagers under the age of 18 at the time of the crime. As of 2006, the mandatory death penalty minimum was taken away. By the end of 2012, there were a recorded number of 120 prisoner executions.
	Tajikistan	2004		n/a	Firing squad. Death penalty for murder with aggravating circumstances; rape with aggravating circumstances; terrorism; biocide; genocide. Moratorium introduced 30 April 2004 by President Emomalii Rahmon, which means instead of capital punishment, the individual shall receive a life in prison. Persons excluded from death row are: the elderly, women, pregnant women, intellectually disabled, the mentally ill, and teenagers who were under the age of 18 at the time of the crime. Many interest groups within the state are attempting to rid the death penalty out of the law books altogether, for they believe in a bright future for the state.
	Thailand	2018		n/a	Death penalty for 35 crimes including regicide; sedition or rebellion; offenses committed against the external security of Thailand; murder or attempted murder of a foreign head of state or a member of the royal family; bribery; high treason; espionage; terrorism acts; terrorism; arson; rape; murder; aggravated murder; drug trafficking; kidnapping; robbery resulting in death; certain military offences; illegal use of firearms or explosives. For a full list see here (PDF)
	East Timor	*None since independence in 2002		2002	Death penalty suspended following UN administration in 1999 when still a province of Indonesia. Abolished by constitution 2002.
	Turkmenistan	1997		1999	Abolished 1999 by Constitution.
	United Arab Emirates	2017	1	n/a	Firing squad. Death penalty for murder; aggravated murder; drug offenses; successfully inciting the suicide of a person "afflicted with total lack of free will or reason"; arson resulting in death; kidnapping resulting in death; acts of indecent assault resulting in death; importing nuclear substances/wastes in the environment of the State; flying unauthorized with unmanned vehicles (drones); rape; treason; adultery; apostasy; aggravated robbery; terrorism; sodomy; homosexuality; joining the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria or Iraq; blasphemy; espionage and perjury causing wrongful execution
	Uzbekistan	2005		2008	President Islam Karimov signed a decree on 1 August 2005 that replaced the death penalty with life imprisonment on 1 January 2008
	Vietnam	2017	unknown number	n/a	Lethal injection. Death penalty for treason; taking action to overthrow the government; espionage; rebellion; banditry; terrorism; sabotage; hijacking; destruction of national security projects; undermining peace; war crimes; crimes against humanity; manufacturing, concealing and trafficking in narcotic substances; certain military offences; manufacturing or trading fake goods such as food or medicines, causing "particularly serious" consequences; murder; rape; robbery; embezzlement; fraud and receiving bribes above a certain amount, or causing "particularly serious" consequences
	Yemen	2018	>2	n/a	Shooting, stoning. Yemen performs public executions. Current laws allow the death penalty for murder; adultery; homosexuality; apostasy (no recorded executions); blasphemy; drug trafficking; perjury causing wrongful execution; kidnapping; rape; sexual misconduct; violent robbery; banditry; terrorism; destruction of property leading to death; prostitution; certain military offenses (e.g. cowardice, desertion); espionage and treason.

Europe

Main article: Capital punishment in Europe

Of the 49 independent states in Europe that are UN members or have UN Observer status:

• 1 (2%), Belarus, maintains the death penalty.
• 1 (2%), Russia, maintains the death penalty, but has a moratorium.
• 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 recognized country in Europe to carry out executions. 2009 and 2015 were the first two years in recorded history when Europe was completely free of executions. This century the following European countries have abolished capital punishment: Ukraine (2000), Malta (2000), Cyprus (2002), Turkey (2004), Greece (2004), Moldova (2005), Albania (2007), and Latvia (2012).

Executions in Europe in 2017: Belarus (2)

Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.

Key	Country	Year of last execution	Executions 2017	Year abolished	Notes
	Albania	1995		2007	Ratification of Protocol No. 13 of ECHR took place on 6 February 2007, in effect by 1 June 2007.
	Andorra	1943		1990	Garrote, Firing Squad abolished 1990 by Constitution
	Armenia	*None since independence in 1991		1998	Abolished in 1998 by Constitution. The last execution when Armenia was a part of the USSR was on 30 August 1991.
	Austria	1950		1968	Abolished in peacetime 1950. Completely abolished in 1968 by Constitution.
	Azerbaijan	1993		1998
	Belarus	2018	2	n/a	Shooting. Belarus is the only country in Europe to practice the death penalty. Laws allow capital punishment for acts of aggression; murder of a representative of a foreign state or international organization with the intention to provoke international tension or war; international terrorism; genocide; crimes against the security of humanity; murder with aggravating circumstances; terrorism; terrorist acts; treason that results in loss of life; conspiracy to seize power; sabotage; murder of a police officer; murder of a border patrol; use of weapons of mass destruction; and violations of the laws and customs of war. See Capital punishment in Belarus.
	Belgium	1950		1996	Last execution for common law crimes was in 1863. Last execution for war crimes was in 1950. Abolished 1996 by Penal Code; since 2005 in Constitution.
	Bosnia and Herzegovina	*None since independence in 1992		1998	Last execution when part of Yugoslavia was in 1975. Abolished 1998 by Constitution, although the death penalty is still present in statutes, specifically in Republika Srpska, Article 11, which states "Human life shall be inviolable. Death penalty may be pronounced exclusively for capital crimes."
	Bulgaria	1989		1998	The last execution in Bulgaria took place on November 4, 1989, days before the downfall of Todor Zhivkov, which heralded the end of the communist regime. It was the year's 14th shooting of a convicted prisoner.
	Croatia	1987		1991	Last capital punishment was performed on January 29, 1987 by the state firing squad while Croatia was still part of SFR Yugoslavia. Last executed convict was Dušan Kosić who killed Čedomir Matijević, his wife Slavica and their two daughters, Dragana and Snježana. Capital punishment was abolished in 1990 according to the provision of the new Croatian constitution enected for the SR Croatia. Upon declaring independence in June 1991 newly formed Republic of Croatia declared Constitution from 1990 official and left the jurisdiction of the Yugoslav Federation consequently completely abolishing capital punishment. Death penalty is prohibited by the article 21 of the Croatian Constitution.
	Cyprus	1962		2002	Capital punishment for murder abolished in 1983. The unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus still retains the death penalty for wartime treason.
	Czech Republic	*None since independence in 1993		1990	Last execution when part of Czechoslovakia was in June 1989. Abolished after the Velvet Revolution 1990 by the amendment to Constitution of Czechoslovakia. Upon independence on 1 January 1993 the Czech Republic became a new abolitionist state. For more info see Capital punishment in the Czech Republic.
	Denmark	1950		1930	Last execution for common law crimes 1892. Last execution for war crimes 1950. Capital punishment was retroactively carried out 1945–50 for crimes related to the German occupation in World War II, repealed in 1951 and confirmed in 1993. A similar rule was active 1952–1978 in the civil penalty law for war crimes committed under extreme circumstances. See Capital punishment in Denmark.
	Estonia	1991		1998	The last execution in Estonia has took place on 11 September 1991 when Rein Oruste was shot with a bullet to the back of the head for the crime of murder.
	Finland	1944		1949	Last peacetime execution 1825. Last wartime execution 1944. Capital punishment was abolished for civilian crimes in 1949 (all existing sentences commuted to life imprisonment) and for all crimes 1972. In 1984 the death penalty was explicitly outlawed in the Finnish Constitution. See Capital punishment in Finland.
	France	1977		1981	The death penalty was initially abolished by the Directory in 1795 but re-introduced by Napoleon in 1810. It was re-abolished in law in 1981 and by Constitution in 2007. See Capital punishment in France.
	Georgia	1995		2006	The death penalty was abolished for most offenses in 1997, but the constitution stated that the Supreme Court had the power to impose the death penalty in exceptionally serious cases of "crimes against life". On 27 December 2006, President Mikheil Saakashvili signed into a law a new constitutional amendment totally abolishing the death penalty in all circumstances. The self-proclaimed state of Abkhazia, which is claimed by Georgia, still retains the death penalty for wartime treason, but it has been under moratorium since 2007.
	Germany	*None since independence in 1949		1949	Prohibited by the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany since the formation of Germany in 1949. US military authorities carried out an execution on German territory in 1956. German Democratic Republic (country which ceased to exist in 1990 and all of its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany) abolished the death penalty in 1987, the last execution was held in 1981.
	Greece	1972		1994	Abolished in 1994 (Law 2207/1994) except for high treason in time of war; abolished completely with the Constitutional amendment of 2001 and then with the approval by Greek Parliament of the ratification of Protocol No. 13 on the abolition of death penalty in all circumstances in November 2004.
	Hungary	1988		1990	Capital punishment was abolished in 1990 and the last execution was of Ernő Vadász on 14 July 1988 for murder.
	Iceland	*None since independence in 1944		1928	Last execution in 1830 when a colony of Denmark. Abolished in 1928; reintroduction made unconstitutional in 1995 by unanimous vote of Parliament.
	Ireland	1954		1990	See Capital punishment in Ireland. Abolished for most murders in 1964, and for remaining offences in 1990. Last death sentences passed in 1985; all since 1954 commuted to imprisonment. 2001 constitutional referendum prohibits reintroduction, even during state of emergency.
	Italy	1947		1948	On 30 November 1786 the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (then independent, now a part of Italy) became the first state in the modern era to completely abolish the death penalty. The short lived Roman Republic of Feb–July 1849 abolished the death penalty before being overthrown by French troops. When the Kingdom of Italy was formed in 1861 all the constituent states except Tuscany allowed capital punishment until it was abolished from the penal code in 1889 – although it was maintained under military and colonial law. In 1926 Mussolini reintroduced the death penalty into Italian law. It was re-abolished from the penal code in 1944. Art. 27 of the Constitution of the Italian Republic (1948) completely abolished it for all common military and civil crimes during peacetime. The death penalty was still, formally, in force in Italy in the military penal code, only for high treachery against the Republic or only in war theatre perpetrated crimes (though no execution ever took place) until it was abolished completely from there as well, in 1994. Article 27 of Italian Constitution was changed, in 2007, to impede the reintroduction of death penalty in time of war too. See Capital punishment in Italy.
	Latvia	1996		2012	Death penalty abolished for peacetime offenses 1999. Abolished for all crimes 2012.
	Liechtenstein	1785		1987
	Lithuania	1995		1998
	Luxembourg	1949		1979	Abolished by Constitution 1979
	North Macedonia	*None since independence in 1991		1991	Last execution when a part of Yugoslavia was in 1988. Abolished by Constitution 1991.
	Malta	*None since independence in 1964		2000	Last execution when a colony of Britain was in 1943. Capital punishment for murder abolished in 1971; part of the military code until 2000.
	Moldova	*None since independence in 1991		2005	Last execution when a part of the USSR was in 1985. On 23 September 2005 the Moldovan Constitutional Court approved constitutional amendments that abolished the death penalty. The self-proclaimed state of Transnistria, which is claimed by Moldova, still retains the death penalty but has observed a moratorium on executions since 1999.
	Monaco	1847		1962	Abolished by Constitution 1962
	Montenegro	*None since independence in 2006		1995	Last execution when a part of Yugoslavia was in 1992. Capital punishment abolished by Yugoslavia Federal Republic in 1995. When Montenegro declared independence in 2006 it became an abolitionist state.
	Netherlands	1952		1982 (Neth) 2010 (Neth Antilles)	Last execution for peacetime offences 1860. Abolished for peacetime offences in 1870. Abolished in Netherlands by Constitution 1982. Last Netherlands overseas territory to abolish was Netherlands Antilles in 2010.
	Norway	1948		1979	Abolished for peacetime offences in 1902, last execution for peacetime offences 1876. Last executions of wartime offenders conducted on 37 men convicted of treason or war crimes in WWII in 1945–48.
	Poland	1988		1997	A criminal law reform including reintroduction of death penalty was proposed in 2004 by Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, but lost its first reading vote in the Sejm by 198 to 194 with 14 abstentions. It is said that this was only populism, as Poland was in the European Union and so this initiative hardly had a chance. See More Capital punishment in Poland
	Portugal	1846		1867	Capital Punishment was abolished for political crimes in 1852, civil crimes in 1867 and war crimes in 1911. In 1916, capital punishment was reinstated only for military offenses that occurred in a war against a foreign country and in the theater of war. Capital punishment was completely abolished again in 1976. See Capital punishment in Portugal.
	Romania	1989		1990	The last people to be convicted and executed in Romania were former dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena Ceaușescu, following the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Their accusations ranged from crimes against humanity to high-treason. Abolished in 1990 and banned by Constitution in 1991.
	Russia	1999 (Chechnya) 1996 (rest of Russia)		n/a	Firing squad. Russia retains the death penalty, but it is rarely used. There have been 4 brief periods when Russia has completely abolished the death penalty, in the 18th century Russian empress Elizabeth abolished it, but it was restored by the next emperor, Peter III of Russia; then, on 12 March 1917 to 12 July 1917 following the overthrow of the Tsar, 27 October 1917 to 16 June 1918 following the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks, and 1947–1950 after the end of the Second World War (Joseph Stalin abolished it in 1947, but he had restored it in 1950, and for this short period, the strictest punishment in USSR was penal servitude in GULAG for 25 years). Currently the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation envisages the death penalty for five crimes: murder with aggravating circumstances, assassination attempt against a state or public figure, attempt on the life of a person administering justice or preliminary investigations, attempt on the life of a law-enforcement officer, and genocide. On 16 April 1997 Russia signed the Sixth Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights, but has yet to ratify it. There has been a moratorium on executions since 1996; no executions in the Russian Federation since August 1996 (except one in 1999 in the Chechen Republic, a former limited recognition state). In November 2009, the Constitutional Court extended the moratorium indefinitely pending ratification of the Sixth Protocol. The death penalty is still present in statutes. See Capital punishment in Russia.
	San Marino	1468		1865	Capital Punishment was abolished for civil crimes in 1848. The Death penalty was completely abolished for all crimes in 1865.
	Serbia	*None since independence in 2006		1995	Last execution when a part of Yugoslavia was in 1992. Capital punishment abolished by Yugoslavia Federal Republic in 1995. When Serbia became independent in 2006 it became an abolitionist state.
	Slovakia	*None since independence in 1993		1990	Last execution when a part of Czechoslovakia was in 1989. Abolished 1990 by Constitution when still a constituent part of Czechoslovakia. Upon independence on 1 January 1993 Slovakia became a new abolitionist state.
	Slovenia	*None since independence in 1991		1991	Last execution when a part of Yugoslavia was in 1959. Abolished in Slovenian Yugoslav Republic 1989 by Constitution. Upon declaration of independence in 1991 Slovenia removed itself from the jurisdiction of the Federal Yugoslav capital punishment statutes effectively achieving complete abolition.
	Spain	1975		1978 (civilian) 1995 (military)	Abolished in 1978 by constitution except for military laws during wartime. Abolished from the military penal code in 1995. See also capital punishment in Spain.
	Sweden	1910		1973	Peacetime offences 1921, Wartime offences 1973. Constitutionally prohibited since 1975. See also capital punishment in Sweden.
	Switzerland	1944		1992	Capital Punishment was abolished in 1874, but reinstated in 1879. It was practiced by a few cantons (nine executions up to 1940). Abolished by popular vote in 1938, except for wartime military crimes, for which it was abolished in 1992. Banned by the 1999 constitution.
	Turkey	1984		2004	Abolished in 2004 by Constitution. On October 29, 2016, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his government would ask parliament to consider reintroducing the death penalty as a punishment for the plotters behind the July coup bid.
	Ukraine	1997		2000	Abolished February 2000 after the Constitutional Court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional in December 1999. New criminal code passed in April 2000. The unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic reintroduced the death penalty for treason in 2014.
	United Kingdom	1977 (Bermuda) 1964 (UK)		1965 (murder, Great Britain; permanent 1969) 1973 (murder, Northern Ireland) 1998 (all offences) 2006 (Jersey)	Last execution in the UK was in 1964. The last execution on British Overseas Territory occurred in Bermuda in 1977. Abolished for murder in 1969 in Great Britain and 1973 in Northern Ireland. Abolished for all remaining offences (high treason, piracy with violence and offences under military jurisdiction) in UK in 1998. European Convention, Thirteenth Protocol ratified in 2003 confirming total abolition. See Capital punishment in the United Kingdom. The last British Territory or Crown Dependency to completely abolish capital punishment was Jersey on 10 December 2006 (see Capital punishment in Jersey).
	Vatican City	1870 (as Papal States)		1969	Mazzatello was used. Never used within the Vatican and only carried out in the Papal States by local authorities where the sentences were handed out. The death penalty was reserved for assassins of the pope until its abolition in 1969.

Oceania

Of the 13 independent countries in Oceania that are UN member or observer states:

• 2 (15%) 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, or it is under a moratorium.
• 11 (85%) have abolished it.

Only Papua New Guinea and Tonga have not formally abolished capital punishment despite not using the practice since 1975 and 1982 respectively. The most recent countries to abolish capital punishment in Oceania are Samoa (2004), Fiji (2015), and Nauru (2016).

Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.

Key	Country	Year of last execution	Executions 2017	Year abolished	Notes
	Australia	1967		1985	Capital punishment was abolished in Queensland in 1922, Tasmania in 1968, The Northern Territory; Australian Capital Territory and the Commonwealth in 1973, Victoria in 1975, South Australia in 1976, Western Australia in 1984 and New South Wales in 1985. See also capital punishment in Australia.
	Fiji	*None since independence in 1970		2015	Last execution when a colony of Britain was in 1964. The death penalty for crimes under the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Act was abolished in Feb 2015. Abolished for other crimes 1979.
	Marshall Islands	*None since independence in 1986		1986	Abolished in 1986 by Constitution
	Micronesia	*None since independence in 1986		1986	Abolished in 1986 by Constitution
	Nauru	*None since independence in 1968		2016	Death penalty abolished May 2016
	New Zealand	1957		2007 (Cook Is.) 1989 (N.Z.)	Abolished in New Zealand in 1989. In 2007 the Cook Islands became the last of New Zealand`s overseas territories to abolish capital punishment. See also capital punishment in New Zealand
	Palau	*None since independence in 1994		1994
	Papua New Guinea	*None since independence in 1975		n/a	Last execution when under Australian administration in November 1954. Treason; piracy; attempted piracy; willful murder. Papua New Guinea voted in 2013 to introduce the death penalty for crimes such as rape, robbery and sorcery-related murder. See also capital punishment in Papua New Guinea.
	Western Samoa	*None since independence in 1962		2004
	Solomon Islands	*None since independence in 1978		1978
	Tonga	1982		n/a	Hanging. Death penalty for treason, murder. See capital punishment in Tonga
	Tuvalu	*None since independence in 1978		1978
	Vanuatu	*None since independence in 1980		1980

Abolition chronology

The table below lists in chronological order the 105 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. 35 countries abolished capital punishment in the 1990s, with 9 in 1990 alone, and a further 23 in the 2000s. 11 countries have abolished so far in the 2010s. Since 1985, there have been only 6 years when no country has abolished the death penalty: 1988, 2001, 2003, 2011, 2013 and 2014.

Note: Where a country has abolished, re-instated, and abolished again (e.g. Philippines, Switzerland, Portugal) only the later abolition date is included. Countries who have abolished and since reinstated (e.g. Liberia) are not included. Non-independent territories are considered to be 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. Defunct countries such as the GDR (East Germany), which abolished capital punishment in 1987 but was dissolved in 1990, are also not included. References are in the continental tables above and not repeated here.

Year abolished	Country	Countries per year	Running total
1863	Venezuela	1	1
1865	San Marino	1	2
1877	Costa Rica	1	3
1903	Panama	1	4
1906	Ecuador	1	5
1907	Uruguay	1	6
1910	Colombia	1	7
1928	Iceland	1	8
1948	Italy	1	9
1949	Germany	1	10
1956	Honduras	1	11
1962	Monaco	1	12
1966	Dominican Republic	1	13
1968	Austria	1	14
1969	Vatican City	1	15
1972	Finland	1	16
1973	Sweden	1	17
1976	Portugal	1	18
1978	Denmark Solomon Islands Tuvalu	3	21
1979	Kiribati Luxembourg Nicaragua Norway	4	25
1980	Vanuatu	1	26
1981	Cape Verde France	2	28
1982	Netherlands	1	29
1985	Australia	1	30
1986	Marshall Islands Micronesia	2	32
1987	Haiti Liechtenstein	2	34
1989	Cambodia	1	35
1990	Andorra Czech Republic Slovakia Hungary Ireland Mozambique Namibia Romania São Tomé and Príncipe	9	44
1991	Croatia North Macedonia Slovenia	3	47
1992	Angola Paraguay Switzerland	3	50
1993	Guinea-Bissau Seychelles	2	52
1994	Palau	1	53
1995	Djibouti Mauritius South Africa Spain Serbia and Montenegro	6	59
1996	Belgium	1	60
1997	Nepal Poland	2	62
1998	Armenia Azerbaijan Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Canada Estonia Lithuania United Kingdom	8	70
1999	Turkmenistan	1	71
2000	Ivory Coast Malta Ukraine	3	74
2002	Cyprus East Timor	2	76
2004	Bhutan Greece Western Samoa Senegal Turkey	5	81
2005	Mexico Moldova	2	83
2006	Georgia Philippines	2	85
2007	Albania Kyrgyzstan New Zealand (In Cook Islands, NZ proper in 1989) Rwanda	4	89
2008	Uzbekistan	1	90
2009	Argentina Bolivia Burundi Togo	4	94
2010	Gabon	1	95
2012	Latvia	1	96
2015	Congo Fiji Madagascar Suriname	4	100
2016	Benin Nauru	2	102
2017	GuineaMongolia	2	104
2018	Burkina Faso	1	105

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

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.