---
title: 'Race and the Death Penalty by the Numbers'
description: 'More than 75% of death row defendants who have been executed were sentenced to death for killing white victims, even though in society as a whole about…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/biases-and-vulnerabilities/race/race-and-the-death-penalty-by-the-numbers'
section: topics
date: '2019-05-06T09:53:14-04:00'
updated: '2025-08-06T14:15:27-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

More than 75% of death row defendants who have been executed were sentenced to death for killing white victims, even though in society as a whole about half\* of all homicide victims are African American.

   ![Race of Defendants Executed in the U.S. Since 1976 (Donut Chart)](https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/X41x3/full.png)  

   ![Race of Victims Since 1976 (Donut Chart)](https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/IvZC1/full.png)  

**NOTES:** The federal government counts some categories, such as Hispanics, as an ethnic group rather than a race. DPI refers to all groups as races because the sources for much of our information use these categories.

Current U.S. Death Row Population by Race
-----------------------------------------

   ![Race of Prisoners on Death Row (Donut Chart)](https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/4Da8X/full.png)