Capital punishment by country



The following is a summary of the use of capital punishment by country. Globally, of the 195 United Nations states, 55 countries retain capital punishment, 105 countries have completely abolished it de jure for all crimes, eight have abolished it for ordinary crimes and 28 are abolitionist in practice.

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. Japan has the highest inequality-adjusted HDI of any country to use the death penalty; Singapore has the highest unadjusted HDI. The use of capital punishment is usually divided into the four categories set out below., of the 195 independent states that are UN members or have UN observer status:
;Execution of minors:Since 2009, Iran and South Sudan have executed offenders who were under the age of 18 at the time the crime was committed, contravening the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
;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 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 62 sovereign states categorized as 'very high' on the 2019 issue of the Human Development Index, 12 perform capital punishment: Singapore, the United States, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Belarus, Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia, and Taiwan. In South Korea, Russia, the Bahamas, Barbados, and Brunei, a moratorium is in practice. In Israel, Kazakhstan, and Chile, it is restricted to crimes committed in wartime. All other countries in this category have abolished capital punishment.

Africa

In Africa, there are several countries that use the death penalty. Botswana, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Nigeria are examples of countries that execute people. In 2018, Burkina Faso repealed the death penalty for ordinary crimes, and The Gambia announced a moratorium as a first step toward abolition. Chad abolished capital punishment for all offences in 2020.

Americas

In the Caribbean countries, the death penalty exists at least de jure, except in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which abolished it in 1969 and 1987, respectively. 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 in 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; according to Amnesty International, China executes more people than the rest of the world combined per annum. 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" offences. Of the 12 countries with a "very high" Human Development Index which practice executions, 10 are in Asia: Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. In 2017, Mongolia repealed the death penalty. India executes criminals only in extreme cases. Only 30 executions have taken place in India since 1991, the last of the execution of four perpetrators of a gang rape and murder case on 20 March 2020.
Although death penalties are still handed out by courts in Myanmar, no prisoners have been executed since 1988. Criminals who receive the death penalty from district courts can appeal their sentences in higher courts, such as regional courts, the Union Supreme Court, and Special Bench. As a final measure, they can plead for clemency from the president.According to a 2017 report by the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, 709 prisoners in 26 prisons across the country have had death sentences commuted to life imprisonment

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 and Luhansk People's Republic continue 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 1999. The absolute ban on the death penalty is enshrined in both the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union 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 modern European countries, San Marino, Portugal and the Netherlands were the first to abolish capital punishment, whereas only Belarus still practices capital punishment in some form or another. In 2012, Latvia became the last EU Member State to abolish capital punishment in wartime.

Post-Soviet states

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

It was in the Kingdom of Tahiti, in 1824, that for the first time in the world a legislative assembly abolished the death penalty, commuted into banishment. 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 have not used it in years. The last known executions in this region took place in Tonga in 1982.

Numbers executed in 2019

At least 20 countries performed executions in 2019:
Precise numbers are not available for many countries, so the total number of executions is unknown. Other countries like Libya have conducted extrajudicial executions.

Capital punishment by continents

Africa

Of the 54 independent states in Africa that are UN members:
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 2020, when Chad abolished capital punishment.
In 2018, The Gambia announced a moratorium as a first step toward abolition.
Executions in Africa in 2019: Botswana, Egypt, Somalia, South Sudan
Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.
KeyCountryYear of last executionExecutions 2019Year abolishedNotes
DZA1993n/aFiring Squad, shooting. Death penalty for treason; espionage; aggravated murder; castration resulting in death; arson 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.
AGO19761992Abolished in 1992 by Constitution.
BEN19872016On 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.
BWA20201n/aHanging, 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.
BFA19882018 Death penalty abolished for ordinary crimes in 2018; still retained for war crimes.
BDI20002009Death penalty abolished in revised 2009 criminal code. Extrajudicial executions are still commonplace. Despite having abolished capital punishment, Burundi voted against the UN Moratorium on the Death Penalty in 2016.
CMR1997n/aHanging, 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.
CPV18351981Last execution when a colony of Portugal was 1835. Abolished in 1981 by Constitution.
CAF1981n/aFiring 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
TCD20152020Firing 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. In April 2020, Chad's Parliament unanimously abolished the death penalty for terrorism. Pending approved by the President, this act would result in the abolition of the death penalty for all crimes.
COM1997n/aFiring squad. Death penalty for aggravated murder, murder, public comments, rape, 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.
COG19822015Death penalty abolished November 2015 by Constitution.
COD2003n/aHanging, 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.
DJI*None since independence in 19771995
EGY202029+n/aHanging/firing squad. Death penalty for rape ; 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.
GNQ2014n/aHanging, firing squad. Death penalty for murder, treason, terrorism, armed robbery, espionage, piracy, war crimes, some military offences and crimes against humanity.
ERI1989n/aHanging, 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.
1983n/aDeath penalty for murder; treason
ETH2007n/aFiring 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
GAB19852010Abolished in February 2010
GMB2012n/aHanging, 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 February 2018, Gambia announced a moratorium on the death penalty. In September 2018, it ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In May 2019, it commuted 22 death sentences to life imprisonment.
GHA1993n/aFiring 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.
GIN20012017Abolished 2016 for ordinary crimes, 2017 for all crimes.
GNB19861993Abolished 1993 by Constitution.
CIV*None since independence in 19602000
KEN1987n/aHanging. 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.
LSO1995n/aHanging. Death penalty for murder, treason, rape, and military offenses such as mutiny.
LBR2000n/aHanging. 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.
LBY2010n/aFiring squad, shooting. Libya executed more people 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
MDG19582015Abolished 10 December 2014 Earlier, on 24 September 2012, Madagascar had signed the Second Additional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
MWI1992n/aHanging is used. Death penalty for murder; rape; violent robbery; burglary; treason; housebreaking and military offenses.
MLI1980n/aExecutions 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.
MRT1987n/aDeath penalty for homosexuality, sodomy, apostasy, 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.
MUS19871995
MAR1993n/aDeath 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".
MOZ19861990Abolished November 1990 by Constitution.
NAM*None since independence in 19901990Last execution when occupied by South Africa was in 1988. Abolished March 1990 by Constitution.
NER1976n/aExecutions 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.
NGA2016n/aDeath 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 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.
RWA19982007Since 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.
STP*None since independence in 19751990Abolished September 1990 by Constitution.
SEN19672004
SYC*None since independence in 19761993Abolished June 1993 by Constitution.
SLE1998n/aDeath penalty for treason; murder; aggravated robbery. Under the Special Court for Sierra Leone the death penalty is not a punishment for war crimes
SOM202013n/aHanging, firing squad or stoning. Somalia is the only African state that carries out public executions. The Transitional Federal Government laws allowed for execution for murder, terrorism, treason, espionage, some military offences, blasphemy, apostasy and adultery.
ZAF19891995The 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 Sudan20197+n/aDeath 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.
SDN2019n/aGarrotte. 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.
TZA1994n/aDeath penalty for murder; treason; military offenses; mutiny by prison officers; and abortion
TGO19782009
TUN1991n/aDeath 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 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.
UGA2005n/aDeath 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.. In 2019 mandatory death penalty was abolished by law.
ZMB1997n/aDeath 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."
ZWE2005n/aDeath 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:
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, 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, Argentina, and Bolivia. Guatemala abolished the death penalty for civil cases in 2017.
Executions in the Americas in 2019: United States.
Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.
KeyCountryYear of last executionExecutions 2019Year abolishedNotes
ATG1991n/aHanging. 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.
ARG19562009
1984 		Constitution of 1853 states "The penalty of death for political offences, all kinds of torture, and flogging, are forever abolished." And was completely 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.
BHS2000n/aHanging. 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.
BRB1984n/aDeath penalty for murder; terrorism; participating in a mutiny; treason and espionage. Presently under review before the IACHR despite strong national support.
BLZ1985n/aDeath penalty for murder, except where extenuating circumstances can be proved, aggravated murder, war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, some military offences and treason.
BOL19742013Abolished for ordinary crimes 1997. "The death penalty does not exist".
BRA18761978 N/a
Hanging, firing squad. 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 during two periods, 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 were similarly commuted and not carried out. The current Constitution of Brazil 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, and by granting commutations for all death sentences that were passed. For more information see Capital punishment in Brazil.
CAN19621998 1976 Abolished in 1976 for ordinary crimes; abolished 1998 for military offences.
CHL19852001 N/A Shooting. Death penalty remains applicable to military personnel for war crimes and crimes against humanity during wartime. Abolished from civil justice in 2001.
COL19091910Abolished in 1910 by Constitutional reform. Prohibited by the Colombian Constitution of 1991: "The right to life is inviolable. There will be no death penalty."
CRI18591877Abolished 1877 by Constitution.
CUB2003n/aFiring 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.
DMA1986n/aExecutions by hanging. Death penalty for aggravated murder and treason.
DOM19661966Abolished in 1966 by Constitution.
ECU18841906Abolished 1906 by Constitution.
SLV19731983 N/A May be imposed only in cases provided by military laws during a state of international war. Abolished for other crimes 1983.
GRD1978n/a
GTM20002017 N/A Lethal injection. Until 2017, death penalty for murder, espionage, treason, drug trafficking, kidnapping, torture, and terrorism. Abolished for civil cases in 2017.
GUY1997n/aDeath 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.
HTI19721987Abolished 1987 by Constitution.
HND19401956Abolished 1956 by Constitution.
JAM1988n/aDeath penalty for murder.
MEX1961 – Military
1937 – Civilian		1976Abolished for all crimes in 2005.
NIC19301979Abolished 1979 by Constitution.
PAN*None since independence in 19031903Abolished 1903 by Constitution.
PRY19281992Abolished 1992 by Constitution.
PER19791979 N/A Firing squad. Death penalty for treason; terrorism; espionage; genocide; mutiny; desertion in times of war. Abolished for other crimes 1979.
KNA2008n/aHanging. Death penalty for murder and treason
LCA1995n/aHanging. Death penalty for murder; treason
VCT1995n/aDeath penalty for murder; treason
SUR19822015Abolished 2015.
TTO1999n/aDeath penalty for murder; treason
USA202022n/aMethods 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. 29 of the 50 states currently have the death penalty, though some are under moratorium or have not conducted any executions in decades. 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.
URY19021907Abolished by the "Law No. 3238" on 23 September 1907 and by the Constitution of 1918.
VEN*None since independence in 18301863Abolished 1863 by Constitution.

Asia

Of the 43 independent countries in Asia that are UN member or observer states:
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 and one in 2018. Hong Kong and Macau are also listed below, but they are not included in the figures above as they do not have UN membership separate from China.
Executions in 2019: Bahrain, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Japan, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Vietnam, Yemen
Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.
KeyCountryYear of last executionExecutions 2019Year abolishedNotes
AFG2018n/aHanging; shooting. Current laws allow capital punishment for aggravated murder, murder, arson, unintentional death to a child, terrorism-related offenses, treason, espionage, adultery, 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.
BHR20193n/a Hanging and firing squad are used. 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.
BGD20201n/aHanging. Death penalty for murder; drug offences; sodomy; kidnapping and trafficking in children for immoral or illegal purposes; human trafficking; kidnapping a person 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.
BTN19742004
BRU1957n/aHanging 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 ; 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.
KHM19891989Abolished in 1989 by Constitution.
2020Unknownn/aShooting ; 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 ; fraud; bombing; flooding; rioting; separatism; armed rebellion; collaborationism; political dissidence; subversion; terrorism; spreading poisons/hazardous substances; people trafficking; forcing a person to engage in prostitution ; 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 ; 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. Even the higher sections of Chinese society are not exempt from the death penalty, as billionaire Liu Han was executed 9 February 2015.
HKG19661993 It was last used in 1966 and abolished in 1993 by the then British colonial government.
IND2020n/aHanging, 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.
IDN2016n/aFiring 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.
IRN2020256+n/aHanging, 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 ; 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.
IRQ2019n/aHanging. 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.
ISR19621954
N/A 		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 and Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann. Abolished for other crimes 1954.
JPN20193n/aHanging. Death penalty for 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.
JOR2017n/aHanging, 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.
KAZ2003n/aCurrently 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.
PRK2020Unknownn/aVarious methods are used, including the 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; listening to South Korean and foreign radio broadcasts; 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 becoming a 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 due to a judicial sentence or a direct order of Kim Jong-un. No official numbers can be known because of the secrecy surrounding the topic of capital punishment within the state.
KOR1997n/aHanging and Firing squad. Death penalty for murder, aggravated murder, arson resulting in death, piracy, terrorism, kidnapping resulting in death, rape resulting in death, rebellion, drug trafficking, conspiracy with foreign countries, robbery-homicide, recidivist violent robbery, treason. There has been an unofficial moratorium on executions since President Kim Dae-jung took office in February 1998.
KWT2017n/aHanging. 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
KGZ*None since independence in 19912007Kyrgyz authorities had extended a moratorium on executions each year since 1998. Abolished by constitution in 2007.
LAO1989n/aDeath 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
LBN2004n/aHanging; 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 ; espionage and treason
MAC19th century1976 It was last used in the 19th century and abolished in 1976 when Portugal abolished the death penalty on all its territories
MYS2017n/aHanging. Death penalty 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 Although a plan to abolish the death penalty was revoked on 13 March 2019 it did abolish mandatory capital punishment and a moratorium on executions remains.
MDV*None since independence in 1965 n/aLast execution when a colony of Britain was in 1952. Death penalty for murder, terrorism, treason, adultery and apostasy. 60-year moratorium lifted in 2014.
MNG20082017President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj instituted a moratorium in 2010, systematically commuting all death sentences. The death penalty was formally abolished on 1 July 2017.
MMR2020n/aDeath 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.
NPL19791997Abolished 1997 by Constitution.
OMN2015n/aDeath 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, espionage, treason and perjury causing wrongful execution
PAK20196+n/aHanging. Death penalty for murder, aggravated murder, drug smuggling, terrorism, arms trafficking, armed robbery resulting in death, certain military offenses, 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.
State of Palestine2017n/aHamas 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. The State of Palestine has ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
PHL20002006Abolished 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.
QAT2020n/aDeath penalty for espionage; threat to national security; apostasy ; 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.
SAU2020184+n/aDecapitation, hanging, stoning. 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.
SGP20192+n/aHanging. 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.
LKA1976n/aDeath 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.
SYR2019Unknownn/aHanging 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., Syria did have an execution per capita rate of 1 for every 3,000,000 persons.
TAI2020n/aGun 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., the mandatory death penalty minimum was taken away. By the end of 2012, there were a recorded number of 120 prisoner executions.
TJK2004n/aFiring 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.
THA2018n/aLethal Injection, 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
TLS*None since independence in 20022002Death penalty suspended following UN administration in 1999 when still a province of Indonesia. Abolished by constitution 2002.
TKM19971999Abolished 1999 by Constitution.
ARE2017n/aFiring squad, Stoning, Hanging. 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 ; 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
UZB20052008President Islam Karimov signed a decree on 1 August 2005 that replaced the death penalty with life imprisonment on 1 January 2008
VNM2019Unknownn/aLethal 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
YEM20207+n/aShooting, stoning. Yemen performs public executions. Current laws allow the death penalty for murder; adultery; homosexuality; apostasy ; 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 ; espionage and treason.

Europe

Of the 49 independent states in Europe that are UN members or have UN Observer status:
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, Malta, Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Moldova, Albania, Latvia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Executions in Europe in 2019: Belarus
Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.
KeyCountryYear of last executionExecutions 2019Year abolishedNotes
ALB19952007Ratification of Protocol No. 13 of ECHR took place on 6 February 2007, in effect by 1 June 2007.
AND19431990Garrote, Firing Squad abolished 1990 by Constitution
ARM19911998Abolished in 1998 by Constitution. The last execution when Armenia was a part of the USSR was on 30 August 1991.
AUT19501968Abolished in peacetime 1950. Completely abolished in 1968 by Constitution.
AZE19931998
BLR20192+n/aShooting the back of the head. 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 officer; use of weapons of mass destruction; and violations of the laws and customs of war.
BEL19501996Last 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.
BIH19751998 2019 The final execution in the present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina took place in 1975, when then Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was still one of the constituent republics of Yugoslavia. It was abolished in 1998 by the Constitution, although the death penalty remained present in the Constitution of Republika Srpska, where it was endorsed in the Article 11, which read : "The human life shall be inviolable. Death penalty may only just be pronounced exclusively for capital crimes." The Supreme Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina had abolished the death penalty in the Republika Srpska in 2019, making Bosnia and Herzegovina, in practice, the last country in Europe, except for Belarus and Russia, to fully abolish the death penalty on all of the levels of its judiciary.
BGR19891998The last execution in Bulgaria took place on 4 November 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.
HRV19871991Last capital punishment was performed on 29 January 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.
CYP19622002Capital punishment for murder abolished in 1983. Completely abolished in 2016 by amendment to the Constitution removing references to capital punishment.
The unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus still retains the death penalty for wartime treason.
CZE19891990Last 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.
DNK19501978Last 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.
EST19911998The 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.
FIN19441972Last peacetime execution 1825. Last wartime execution 1944. Capital punishment was abolished for civilian crimes in 1949 and for all crimes 1972. In 1984 the death penalty was explicitly outlawed in the Finnish Constitution.
FRA19771981The 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.
GEO19952006The 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.
DEU19811949, 1987 Abolished by the Basic Law since the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. However, US military authorities carried out seven executions on German territory in 1951, since they were, as an occupation force, not subjected to this. German Democratic Republic abolished the death penalty in 1987, the last execution was held in 1981.
GRC19722001Abolished in 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.
HUN19881990Capital punishment was abolished in 1990 and the last execution was of Ernő Vadász on 14 July 1988 for murder.
ISL*None since independence in 19441928Last execution in 1830 when a colony of Denmark. Abolished in 1928; reintroduction made unconstitutional in 1995 by unanimous vote of Parliament.
IRL19541990Abolished 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.
ITA19471994On 30 November 1786 the Grand Duchy of Tuscany 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 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 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.
LVA19962012Death penalty abolished for peacetime offenses 1999. Abolished for all crimes 2012.
LIE17851987
LTU19951998
LUX19491979Abolished by Constitution 1979.
MLT19432000Last execution when a colony of Britain was in 1943. Capital punishment for murder abolished in 1971; part of the military code until 2000.
MDA19852005Last 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.
MCO18471962Abolished by Constitution 1962.
MNE19921995Last 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.
NLD19521982
2010 		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.
MKD19881991Last execution when a part of Yugoslavia was in 1988. Abolished by Constitution 1991.
NOR19481979Abolished 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.
POL19881998A 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.
PRT19171976Capital 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.
ROU19891990The 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.
RUS1999
1996 		n/aFiring 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. 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. In November 2009, the Constitutional Court extended the moratorium indefinitely pending ratification of the Sixth Protocol. The death penalty is still present in statutes.
SMR14681848Capital Punishment was abolished for civil crimes in 1848. The Death penalty was completely abolished for all crimes in 1865.
SRB19921995Last 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.
SVK19891990Last 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.
SVN19591991Last 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.
ESP19751978
1995 		Abolished in 1978 by Constitution except for wartime offences. Abolished from the military penal code in 1995.
SWE19101973Peacetime offences 1921, Wartime offences 1973. Constitutionally prohibited since 1975.
CHE19441992Capital Punishment was abolished in 1874, but reinstated in 1879. It was practiced by a few cantons. Abolished by popular vote in 1938, except for wartime military crimes, for which it was abolished in 1992. Banned by the 1999 constitution.
TUR19842004Abolished in 2004 by Constitution. On 29 October 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.
UKR19972000Abolished 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.
UK1977
1964 		1998Last 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 in UK in 1998. European Convention, Thirteenth Protocol ratified in 2003 confirming total abolition.
The last British Territory or Crown Dependency to completely abolish capital punishment was Jersey on 10 December 2006.
VAT18701969 Last execution on 9 July 1870. Mazzatello was used in ancient times, then hanging, beheading and from early '800 guillotine. Never used within the Vatican City itself and only carried out in the Papal States by local authorities where the sentences were handed out. From 1870 to 1929 the Vatican had no sovereign territories, and no death sentences were applied. Officially re-introduced in the Law Codes in 1927, only in case of assassination of the Pope. Abolished in 1969.

Oceania

Of the 14 independent countries in Oceania that are UN member or observer states:
Only Papua New Guinea and Tonga have not formally abolished capital punishment despite not using the practice since 1954 and 1982 respectively. The most recent countries to abolish capital punishment in Oceania are Samoa, Fiji, and Nauru.
Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.
KeyCountryYear of last executionExecutions 2019Year abolishedNotes
AUS19671985Capital punishment was abolished in Queensland in 1922; Tasmania in 1968; the Northern Territory, the 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.
FJI19642015Last 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.
KIR*None since independence in 19791979
MHL*None since independence in 19861986Abolished in 1986 by Constitution.
FSM*None since independence in 19861986Abolished in 1986 by Constitution.
NRU*None since independence in 19682016Death penalty abolished May 2016 Despite having abolished capital punishment, Nauru voted against the UN Moratorium on the Death Penalty in 2018.
NZL19571989Abolished in New Zealand in 1941 for most crimes, reinstated in 1950, abolished again in 1961 for most crimes, and formally abolished for treason in 1989.
In 2007 the Cook Islands became the last of New Zealand's overseas territories to abolish capital punishment.
PLW*None since independence in 19941994
PNG*None since independence in 1975n/aLast 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.
WSM*None since independence in 19622004
SLB*None since independence in 19781978
TON1982n/aHanging. Death penalty for treason, murder.
TUV*None since independence in 19781978
VUT*None since independence in 19801980

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, 11 in the 1970s, and a further 10 in the 1980s. After the end of the Cold War, many more countries followed. 36 countries abolished capital punishment in the 1990s, with 9 in 1990 alone, 23 in the 2000s, 11 in the 2010s, and 1 so far in the 2020s. Since 1985, there have been only 8 years when no country has abolished the death penalty: 1988, 2001, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2018.
Note: Where a country has abolished, re-instated, and abolished again only the later abolition date is included. Countries which have abolished and since reinstated 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, the Cook Is, 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, 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 abolishedCountryCountries per yearRunning total
1863VEN11
1865SMR12
1877CRI13
1903PAN14
1906ECU15
1907URY16
1910COL17
1928ISL18
1948ITA19
1956HND110
1962MCO111
1966DOM112
1968AUT113
1969VAT114
1972FIN115
1973SWE116
1976PRT117
1978DNK SLB TUV320
1979KIR LUX NIC NOR424
1980VUT125
1981CPV FRA227
1982NLD128
1985AUS129
1986MHL FSM231
1987DEU132
1988HTI LIE234
1989KHM NZL236
1990AND CZE SVK HUN IRL MOZ NAM ROU STP945
1991HRV MKD SVN348
1992AGO PRY CHE351
1993GNB SYC253
1994PLW154
1995DJI MUS ZAF ESP Serbia 559
1996BEL160
1997NPL161
1998ARM AZE BGR CAN EST LTU POL UK869
1999TKM170
2000CIV MLT UKR373
2002CYP TLS275
2004BTN GRC Samoa SEN TUR580
2005MEX MDA282
2006GEO PHL Montenegro385
2007ALB KGZ RWA388
2008UZB189
2009ARG BOL BDI TGO493
2010GAB194
2012LVA195
2015COG FJI MDG SUR499
2016BEN NRU2101
2017GIN MNG2103
2019BIH1104
2020CHA1105