Although nearly three-quarters of the world’s countries no longer put people to death, the penalty’s use in 2024 reached record levels in states that still practice it.
As France prepares to move Robert Badinter, who as justice minister ended capital punishment in 1981, to the esteemed resting place of the Pantheon, here is a global overview of the death penalty:
Abolished in 145 countries
By 31 December 31, 145 countries had abolished capital punishment in law or in practice, according to human rights group Amnesty International’s latest annual report published in April.
A total of 122 countries had done so in law, of which 113 for all crimes, while nine others have abolished it for ordinary crimes.
A further 23 are considered de facto abolitionists because they have not executed anyone in a decade.
The only European country to still apply the death penalty is Belarus.
The former Soviet republic did not conduct any executions in 2024 or the first nine months of 2025.
In Africa, on December 31, 2024, Zimbabwe officially abolished the death penalty for all crimes, but this provision can be lifted if there is a state of emergency.
US: banned in 23 states
There were 25 executions in the United States in 2024: 24 by lethal injection and one by inhaling nitrogen gas, a method that causes suffocation and which the United Nations has compared to “torture”.
Out of 50 states, 23 ban capital punishment outright, while three others – California, Oregon and Pennsylvania – have imposed moratoriums.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), 34 people have been executed so far this year, including 13 in Florida alone.
That is the highest figure for a decade, with nine more executions scheduled before the end of the year.
At least 1 518 executions in 2024
The number of executions around the world spiked by 32 percent in 2024, which saw practices of beheading, hanging, shooting, lethal injection and nitrogen gas asphyxiation.
The last peak was in 2015 with 1 518 executions, according to Amnesty.
The highest rates were in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United States, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Singapore, Somalia and Yemen.
The NGO also cited Afghanistan, China, North Korea, Syria and Vietnam, for which it does not have precise figures.
In reality, China probably carried out the most executions, with figures likely in the thousands, Amnesty said.
In September, the United Nations voiced alarm at North Korea’s increasing use of the death penalty over the past decade.
Majority in Iran
The 2024 increase is mainly due to more executions in three countries: Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran, which put to death 345, 63 and 972 people respectively.
Iran’s count makes up 64 percent of the total and represents a 14 percent domestic increase since 2023.
In late August, Amnesty said at least 841 people had already been executed so far this year.
In Saudi Arabia, notorious for its beheadings, the 345 executions recorded are double that of 2023, and could rise again in 2025.
In April, the NGO denounced an alarming increase in the use of the death penalty in the wealthy Gulf country.
In Asia, Japan in late June carried out its first execution since July 2022.
