International
Abolitionist and Retentionist Countries

TYPE OF COUNTRY | NUMBER |
---|---|
Abolitionist for all Crimes | 106 |
Abolitionist for Ordinary Crimes only | 7 |
Abolitionist in Practice | 29 |
Retentionist Countries | 56 |
Total Abolitionist in law or practice | 142 |
Countries that have abolished the death penalty since 1976
International Death Penalty Database
Information accurate as of December 31, 2017 (Amnesty International)
Abolitionist for All Crimes
Countries whose laws do not provide for the death penalty for any crime
ALBANIA | GEORGIA | NIUE |
ANDORRA | GERMANY | NORWAY |
ANGOLA | GREECE | PALAU |
ARGENTINA | GUINEA | PANAMA |
ARMENIA | GUINEA-BISSAU | PARAGUAY |
AUSTRALIA | HAITI | PHILIPPINES |
AUSTRIA | HOLY SEE | POLAND |
AZERBAIJAN | HONDURAS | PORTUGAL |
BELGIUM | HUNGARY | ROMANIA |
BENIN | ICELAND | RWANDA |
BHUTAN | IRELAND | SAMOA |
BOLIVIA | ITALY | SAN MARINO |
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA | KIRIBATI | SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE |
BULGARIA | KYRGYZSTAN | SENEGAL |
BURUNDI | LATVIA | SERBIA |
CAMBODIA | LIECHTENSTEIN | SEYCHELLES |
CABO VERDE | LITHUANIA | SLOVAKIA |
CANADA | LUXEMBOURG | SLOVENIA |
COLOMBIA | MACEDONIA (former Yugoslav Republic) | SOLOMON ISLANDS |
COOK ISLANDS | MADAGASCAR | SOUTH AFRICA |
CONGO (REPUBLIC OF) | MALTA | SPAIN |
COSTA RICA | MARSHALL ISLANDS | SURINAME |
COTE D’IVOIRE | MAURITIUS | SWEDEN |
CROATIA | MEXICO | SWITZERLAND |
CYPRUS | MICRONESIA (Federated States) | TIMOR-LESTE |
CZECH REPUBLIC | MOLDOVA | TOGO |
DENMARK | MONACO | TURKEY |
DJIBOUTI | MONTENEGRO | TURKMENISTAN |
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | MOZAMBIQUE | TUVALU |
ECUADOR | NAMIBIA | UKRAINE |
ESTONIA | NAURU | UNITED KINGDOM |
FINLAND | NEPAL | URUGUAY |
FIJI | NETHERLANDS | UZBEKISTAN |
FRANCE | NEW ZEALAND | VANUATU |
GABON | NICARAGUA | VENEZUELA |
Abolitionist for “Ordinary Crimes” Only
Countries whose laws provide for the death penalty only for exceptional crimes such as crimes under military law or crimes committed in exceptional circumstances
BRAZIL | GUATEMALA | KAZAKHSTAN |
CHILE | GUINEA | PERU |
EL SALVADOR | ISRAEL |
Abolitionist in Practice
Countries which retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes such as murder but can be considered abolitionist in practice in that they have not executed anyone during the past 10 years and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions. The list also includes countries which have made an international commitment not to use the death penalty
ALGERIA | LAOS | PAPUA NEW GUINEA |
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM | LIBERIA | RUSSIAN FEDERATION |
BURKINA FASO | MALAWI | SIERRA LEONE |
CAMEROON | MALDIVES | SRI LANKA |
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC | MALI | SWAZILAND |
ERITREA | MAURITANIA | TAJIKISTAN |
GHANA | MONGOLIA | TANZANIA |
GRENADA | MOROCCO | TONGA |
KENYA | MYANMAR | TUNISIA |
KOREA (SOUTH) | NIGER | ZAMBIA |
Retentionist Countries
Countries which retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes
AFGHANISTAN | GUATEMALA | QATAR |
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA | GUYANA | SAINT KITTS & NEVIS |
BAHAMAS | INDIA | SAINT LUCIA |
BAHRAIN | INDONESIA | SAINT VINCENT & GRENADINES |
BANGLADESH | IRAN | SAUDI ARABIA |
BARBADOS | IRAQ | SINGAPORE |
BELARUS | JAMAICA | SOMALIA |
BELIZE | JAPAN | SOUTH SUDAN |
BOTSWANA | JORDAN | SUDAN |
CHAD | KOREA (NORTH) | SYRIA |
CHINA | KUWAIT | TAIWAN |
COMOROS | LEBANON | THAILAND |
CONGO (Democratic Republic) | LESOTHO | TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO |
CUBA | LIBYA | UGANDA |
DOMINICA | MALAYSIA | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES |
EGYPT | NIGERIA | UNITED STATES OF AMERICA |
EQUATORIAL GUINEA | OMAN | VIET NAM |
ETHIOPIA | PAKISTAN | YEMEN |
GAMBIA | PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY | ZIMBABWE |