International

Abolitionist and Retentionist Countries

Abolitionist and Retentionist Countries
Abolitionist and Retentionist Countries
TYPE OF COUNTRYNUMBER
Abolitionist
for all Crimes
108
Abolitionist for Ordinary
Crimes only

8

Abolitionist in Practice 28
Retentionist Countries 55
Total Abolitionist in law or
practice
144

Countries that have abolished the death penalty since 1976

International Death Penalty Database

Information accurate as of December 31, 2020 (Amnesty International)


Abolitionist for All Crimes

Countries whose laws do not provide for the death penalty for any crime

ALBANIA GERMANY NORTH MACEDONIA
ANDORRA GREECE NORWAY
ANGOLA GUINEA PALAU
ARGENTINA GUINEA-BISSAU PANAMA
ARMENIA HAITI PAPUA NEW GUINEA
AUSTRALIA HOLY SEE PARAGUAY
AUSTRIA HONDURAS PHILIPPINES
AZERBAIJAN HUNGARY POLAND
BELGIUM ICELAND PORTUGAL
BENIN IRELAND ROMANIA
BHUTAN ITALY RWANDA
BOLIVIA KAZAKHSTAN SAMOA
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA KIRIBATI SAN MARINO
BULGARIA KOSOVO SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE
BURUNDI KYRGYZSTAN SENEGAL
CABO VERDE LATVIA SERBIA
CAMBODIA LIECHTENSTEIN SEYCHELLES
CANADA LITHUANIA SIERRA LEONE
CHADLUXEMBOURGSLOVAKIA
COLOMBIA MADAGASCAR SLOVENIA
CONGO (REPUBLIC OF) MALTA SOLOMON ISLANDS
COOK ISLANDS MARSHALL ISLANDS SOUTH AFRICA
COSTA RICA MAURITIUS SPAIN
COTE D’IVOIRE MEXICO SURINAME
CROATIA MICRONESIA (Federated States) SWEDEN
CYPRUS MOLDOVA SWITZERLAND
CZECH REPUBLIC MONACO TIMOR-LESTE
DENMARK MONGOLIA TOGO
DJIBOUTI MONTENEGRO TURKEY
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MOZAMBIQUE TURKMENISTAN
ECUADOR NAMIBIA TUVALU
ESTONIA NAURU UKRAINE
FIJI NEPAL UNITED KINGDOM
FINLAND NETHERLANDS URUGUAY
FRANCE NEW ZEALAND UZBEKISTAN
GABON NICARAGUA VANUATU
GEORGIANIUEVENEZUELA

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 EL SALVADOR KAZAKHSTAN
BURKINA FASO GUATEMALA PERU
CHILE 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 RUSSIAN FEDERATION
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM LIBERIA SOUTH KOREA
CAMEROON MALAWI SRI LANKA
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC MALDIVES TAJIKISTAN
ERITREA MALI TANZANIA
ESWATINI MAURITANIA TONGA
GHANA MOROCCO TUNISIA
GRENADA MYANMAR ZAMBIA
KENYA NIGER

Retentionist Countries

Countries which retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes

AFGHANISTAN GUYANA QATAR
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA INDIA SAINT KITTS & NEVIS
BAHAMAS INDONESIA SAINT LUCIA
BAHRAIN IRAN SAINT VINCENT & GRENADINES
BANGLADESH IRAQ SAUDI ARABIA
BARBADOS JAMAICA SINGAPORE
BELARUS JAPAN SOMALIA
BELIZE JORDAN SOUTH SUDAN
BOTSWANA KUWAIT SUDAN
CHINA LEBANON SYRIA
COMOROS LESOTHO TAIWAN
CONGO (Democratic Republic) LIBYA THAILAND
CUBA MALAYSIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
DOMINICA NIGERIA UGANDA
EGYPT NORTH KOREA UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
EQUATORIAL GUINEA OMAN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ETHIOPIA PAKISTAN VIET NAM
GAMBIA PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY YEMEN

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