Use of Capital Punishment By Country - Capital Punishment in The World

Capital Punishment in The World

Capital punishment has been used in almost every part of the world, but in the last few decades many countries have abolished it. Usage of capital punishment is usually broken into the four categories set out below. Of the 198 independent states that are UN members or have UN observer status:

• 97 (49%) have abolished it.
• 8 (4%) retain it for crimes committed in exceptional circumstances (such as in time of war).
• 35 (18%) 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.
• 58 (29%) maintain the death penalty in both law and practice. These countries make up approximately 66% of the world's population in 2012.

The information above is accurate as of 6 July 2012, when Benin signed the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

• 2010 – The following 21 countries carried out or are believed by Amnesty International to have carried out executions in 2010: Bahrain (1), Bangladesh (9+), Belarus (2), Botswana (1), China (2000+), Egypt (4), Equatorial Guinea (4), Iran (252+), Iraq (1+), Japan (2), Libya (18+), Malaysia (1+), North Korea (60+), Saudi Arabia (27+), Singapore (0+), Somalia (8+), Sudan (6+), Syria (17+), USA (46), Vietnam (0+), Yemen (53+).

• 2011 – The following 18 countries carried out, or are believed by Amnesty International to have carried out, executions in 2011: Afghanistan (2), Bangladesh (5+), Belarus (2), China (2000+), Egypt (1+), Iran (360+), Iraq (68+), Malaysia (1+), North Korea (30+), Saudi Arabia (82+), Somalia (6), South Sudan (5), Sudan (7+), Syria (1+), UAE (1), USA (43), Vietnam (1+), Yemen (41+).

• Execution of minors – Since 2009 Iran and Saudi Arabia have executed offenders who were under the age of 18 at the time the crime was committed,

• Public execution – Since 2009 public executions have reportedly been carried out by the governments of Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.

• Extrajudicial execution – In some countries the practice of extrajudicial execution sporadically or systematically outside their own formal legal frameworks occurs. Information on this is not covered in this article.