According to Amnesty International, the death penalty continues to be quite widespread in Asia, with China, India, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, among others, employing it. The death penalty is rare in Europe and the Americas – with the notable exceptions of Belarus, Guyana, Cuba and the United States. It is still more common in Africa and the Middle East. 110 countries and territories around the world have abolished the death penalty completely, most recently the Central African Republic and Papua New Guinea. In 2023 and 2024, African nations Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana and Zimbabwe abolished the death penalty for all but very serious crimes. 77 nations still have capital punishment on the books, while Amnesty International lists 23 of them as abolitionists in practice, meaning the countries haven't carried out an execution in at least ten years.
Where the Death Penalty Exists
Death Penalty
Description
This chart shows countries by existence and practice of death penalty laws (2024).
