List of Countries with the Most Capital Punishment 2024

The top 10 Countries that conduct the most capital punishments are China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the US, Iraq, Singapore, Kuwait, Somalia, and South Sudan. Capital punishment is also called the death penalty. The Death Penalty Information Center states that over 70% of countries have banned the death penalty in their constitutions or laws. Amnesty International’s 2021 year-end report indicated that 579 executions had been documented worldwide, divided across 18 countries. While this total is 20% greater than the number of executions in 2020.

In this article, we will look into the list of top 10 countries that conduct the most capital punishments along with the number of executions.

What is Capital Punishment?

Capital punishment is when a government decides to legally end someone’s life as a punishment for a very serious crime, like murder. It’s also known as the death penalty. This means that after a court finds someone guilty of a crime that is considered extremely bad, the punishment can be that this person must die, as decided by the laws of that country.

List of Countries with the Most Capital Punishments 2024

In 2022, the top 10 countries executed 1854 people, marking a rise of 53% over 2021. This increase in executions outside China was due to countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The below table lists the top 10 countries that conduct the most capital punishment:

Country	Executions
China	1000
Iran	576
Saudi Arabia	196
Egypt	24
US	18
Iraq	11
Singapore	11
Kuwait	7
Somalia	6
South Sudan	5

The Country with Tenth Highest Capital Punishment – South Sudan

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in South Sudan, and is covered in the Penal Code Act of 2008.

• The death penalty is allowed for certain crimes, including murder, terrorism, aggravated drug trafficking, and bearing false witness that results in the death of an innocent person.
• The execution can be carried out by either civilian courts or the military, and the method of execution is hanging.
• South Sudan is one of the countries that have executed people who were minors at the time of the crime including Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
• Execution of at least one person who was a child at the time of the crime is a violation of South Sudanese law and international human rights law and standards.
• In 2011, South Sudan executed five people and had 150 more on death row. In 2018, the country had at least seven executions and more than 300 people on death row.

The Country with Ninth Highest Capital Punishment – Somalia

Somalia has the highest number of executions recorded worldwide, with 21 people executed in 2021. However, Amnesty International says that 2021’s global execution figure is the second-lowest since 2010, despite regression.

• Somalia has not abolished the death penalty, and the government and other actors continue to impose and carry out sentences for crimes such as political crimes, espionage, and endangerment of public safety.
• The Somali Penal Code and Military Penal Code both sanction executions by shooting.
• The FGS has not abolished the death penalty, and continues to impose and carry out death sentences for crimes other than the intentional killing of a person, including crimes committed while under the age of 18.
• In 2021, 33 executions were recorded in Somalia, Botswana, and South Sudan.

The Country with Eighth Highest Capital Punishment – Kuwait

Kuwait is one of 21 countries that executed people in 2022. Hanging is the preferred method of execution for civilians, but shooting is another legal form of execution in certain circumstances.

• Kuwait has executed dozens of people since launching the death penalty in the 1960s. In 2022, Kuwait executed 7 people, including 5 convicted of premeditated murder.
• According to Amnesty International, the death penalty is a violation of the right to life and is cruel, inhuman, and degrading.
• In 2013, Kuwaiti authorities hanged three men convicted of murder, and two months later, two Egyptians convicted of kidnap and murder were executed.
• In November 2022, Kuwait executed seven people, including four Kuwaiti men, a Syrian man, a Pakistani man, and an Ethiopian woman, claiming that this would increase crime.

The Country with Seventh Highest Capital Punishment – Singapore

Singapore is the country with the seventh highest capital punishment with 11 executions in the year 2022.

• In Singapore, the death penalty is carried out by hanging at dawn, and is the punishment for certain offenses. The law also allows judges to sentence offenders convicted of capital offenses to life imprisonment, but those offenders must be under 18 at the time of their crimes.
• In 2010, the law was amended to allow judges to mete out life imprisonment to offenders convicted of capital offenses, but aged below 18 at the time of their crimes.
• Drug traffickers who are suffering from diminished responsibility will serve a mandatory life sentence without caning, while those who acted as couriers would receive life terms and caning of not less than 15 strokes.
• In Singapore, corporal punishment, in the form of caning, is also legal.

The Country with Sixth Highest Capital Punishment – Iraq

• Iraq is among the countries that use the death penalty, but ranks sixth in the world for the number of executions with 11 executions in the year 2022.
• Iraq has said that the death penalty is used for the most serious offenses, including those that affect the “right to life or the peace and security of society”. Some of the offenses that carry the death penalty include:
  • Crimes against the state’s internal and external security
  • Drug-related offenses
  • Trafficking in women
  • Child prostitution
  • Abduction, unless accompanied by rape or killing
  • Use of violence against the constitutionally appointed Republican regime
• In Iraq, capital punishment is legal. It was commonly used by Saddam Hussein’s government (who was eventually executed), was briefly suspended during the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, which removed Saddam, and has since been resumed. Executions are carried out through hanging.

The Country with Fifth Highest Capital Punishment – US

The US is the fifth country that executed the most people in 2022. In 2022, 20 countries executed people, up from 18 in 2021. In 2022, 93% of known global executions, excluding China, took place in the Middle East and North Africa.

• The US is the only G7 country that still executes people. In the US, the death penalty can only be imposed on defendants convicted of capital offenses, such as murder, treason, genocide, or the killing or kidnapping of a Congressman, the President, or a Supreme Court justice. A jury must decide whether to impose the death penalty.
• The US has abolished the juvenile death penalty, and there have been no executions or discussion of executing juveniles since 2005.
• Capital punishment is lawful throughout the United States, including the federal level, 27 states, and American Samoa. It is also a legal punishment for some military misconduct. Capital punishment has been abolished in 23 states, as well as the federal capital of Washington, D.C.
• It is often used only for the most serious offenses, such as aggravated murder. Although the death penalty is lawful in 27 states, only 20 of them have the authority to carry it out, with the remaining seven states and the federal government subject to various sorts of moratoriums.

The Country with Fourth Highest Capital Punishment – Egypt

In 2022, Egypt executed 24 people, the fourth highest number of executions in the world, after China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.

• Egypt executes people by hanging for civilian convictions, and by firing squad for convictions by commissioned military personnel at the time of duty.
• According to Amnesty International, Iran and Saudi Arabia are responsible for 90% of global executions, with Iran executing 576 people in 2022, and Saudi Arabia executing 196 people in 2022.
• Crimes punishable by death in Egypt include premeditated murder, rape, drug related offenses, and offenses under the so-called “anti-terrorism” legislation.
• Amnesty International said the spike in executions followed a botched breakout attempt in September 2020 at the Tora Prison in Cairo, where four police officers and four death-row prisoners died.

The Country with Third Highest Capital Punishment – Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is the third highest country in the world for capital punishment, after China and Iran, and before Egypt and the United States.

• In 2022, Saudi Arabia executed 196 people, the highest number in 30 years.
• Saudi Arabia’s judiciary can impose the death penalty according to three categories of criminal offense in Sharia law:
  • Hudud: Fixed punishments for specific crimes, such as apostasy, adultery, and sodomy.
  • Qisas: Eye-for-an-eye retaliatory punishments, such as murder.
  • Tazir: A general category, including crimes defined by national regulations, some of which can be punished by death, such as drug trafficking.
• The death penalty is applicable to all capital offenders without distinction, but in practice it disproportionately affects the disadvantaged and the victims of discrimination such as foreign workers and women.

The Country with Second Highest Capital Punishment – Iran

Capital penalty is a legal punishment in Iran. Crime punishable by capital punishment include murder, rape, child molestation, homosexuality, pedophilia, drug trafficking, armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism, burglary, prohibited sexual relations, sodomy, sexual misconduct, prostitution, etc.

• Iran carried out at least 977 executions in 2015, 567 in 2016, and 507 in 2017. In 2018, there were at least 249 executions, 273 in 2019, 246 in 2020, 290 in 2021, 598 in 2022, and 576 so far in 2023.
• Alireza Akbari, a British-Iranian national who had previously held the position of deputy defense minister in Iran, was executed in January 2023 by Iran despite requests from London for his release.
• The United Kingdom condemned the killing as politically motivated and a “callous and cowardly act” committed by a “barbaric regime.”
• State-sanctioned executions have increased dramatically in 2023. In May 2023 alone, Iran killed at least 142 people, the highest monthly rate since 2015. At least 30 of those deceased belonged to the mostly Sunni Baluch ethnic group.

The Country with Highest Capital Punishment – China

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in China. It applies to several offenses, including murder and drug trafficking.

• Executions are carried out either through lethal injection or gunfire. According to a 2014 survey done by the New York Times, the death sentence continues to have popular support in China.
• Most East Asian countries and territories utilize capital punishment, including Japan, North Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Taiwan.
• According to Amnesty International, China executes more individuals than any other country combined.
• Capital punishment in China should not be confused with death sentence with reprieve, which is a type of mild sentencing administered by Chinese courts on an equal or greater frequency than true death penalties.

Summary – List of Countries with the Most Capital Punishments

In conclusion, as of 2024, 112 countries do not use capital punishment, including 108 countries that have completely abolished it, seven that have abolished it for all offenses except special circumstances, and 26 that have abolished it in practice because they have not used it for at least 10 years. In 2022, six countries abolished the death penalty, either fully or partially. According to the UN Human Rights Office, capital punishment is incompatible with the right to life and may amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

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FAQs on List of Countries with the Most Capital Punishments 2024

Which countries still practice capital punishment in 2024?

As of 2024, approximately 53 countries still have capital punishment.

What are the primary methods of execution used worldwide?

Common methods include lethal injection, hanging, shooting, and beheading.

Is capital punishment legal in any European countries?

No, all European Union member states have abolished the death penalty.

How does the number of countries practicing capital punishment compare to previous years?

The number has decreased steadily over the years due to international pressure and human rights advocacy.

Are there any trends regarding countries abolishing capital punishment?

Yes, many nations are moving towards abolition, caused by concerns for human rights and justice reform.

Which country has the highest number of executions annually?

China has historically reported the highest number of executions, although exact figures are often undisclosed.

Are there any countries that have recently reinstated capital punishment?

While some countries may debate its reintroduction, few have actually reinstated capital punishment in recent years.

How do cultural, religious, and political factors influence a country’s stance on capital punishment?

These factors can vary significantly, influencing both the decision to retain or abolish capital punishment.

References:

Capital Punishment [en.wikipedia.org]