International
Abolitionist and Retentionist Countries
Information accurate as of December 31, 2023 (Amnesty International)
*Malaysia removed the mandatory death penalty for 11 offenses on July 4, 2023.
TYPE OF COUNTRY | |
---|---|
Abolitionist for all Crimes | |
NUMBER | 112 |
Abolitionist for ordinary crimes only | |
NUMBER | 9 |
Abolitionist in practice | |
NUMBER | 23 |
Total abolitionist in law or practice | |
NUMBER | 144 |
Retentionist countries | |
NUMBER | 55 |
TYPE OF COUNTRY | NUMBER |
---|---|
Abolitionist for all Crimes | 112 |
Abolitionist for ordinary crimes only | 9 |
Abolitionist in practice | 23 |
Total abolitionist in law or practice | 144 |
Retentionist countries | 55 |
Abolitionist for All Crimes
Countries whose laws do not provide for the death penalty for any crime
ALBANIA | |
---|---|
ANDORRA | |
GERMANY | GREECE |
NORTH MACEDONIA | NORWAY |
ANGOLA | |
GERMANY | GUINEA |
NORTH MACEDONIA | PALAU |
ARGENTINA | |
GERMANY | GUINEA-BISSAU |
NORTH MACEDONIA | PANAMA |
ARMENIA | |
GERMANY | HAITI |
NORTH MACEDONIA | PAPUA NEW GUINEA |
AUSTRALIA | |
GERMANY | HOLY SEE |
NORTH MACEDONIA | PARAGUAY |
AUSTRIA | |
GERMANY | HONDURAS |
NORTH MACEDONIA | PHILIPPINES |
AZERBAIJAN | |
GERMANY | HUNGARY |
NORTH MACEDONIA | POLAND |
BELGIUM | |
GERMANY | ICELAND |
NORTH MACEDONIA | PORTUGAL |
BENIN | |
GERMANY | IRELAND |
NORTH MACEDONIA | ROMANIA |
BHUTAN | |
GERMANY | ITALY |
NORTH MACEDONIA | RWANDA |
BOLIVIA | |
GERMANY | KAZAKHSTAN |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SAMOA |
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA | |
GERMANY | KIRIBATI |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SAN MARINO |
BULGARIA | |
GERMANY | KOSOVO |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE |
BURUNDI | |
GERMANY | KYRGYZSTAN |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SENEGAL |
CABO VERDE | |
GERMANY | LATVIA |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SERBIA |
CAMBODIA | |
GERMANY | LIECHTENSTEIN |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SEYCHELLES |
CANADA | |
GERMANY | LITHUANIA |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SIERRA LEONE |
CHAD | |
GERMANY | LUXEMBOURG |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SLOVAKIA |
COLOMBIA | |
GERMANY | MADAGASCAR |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SLOVENIA |
CONGO (REPUBLIC OF) | |
GERMANY | MALTA |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SOLOMON ISLANDS |
COOK ISLANDS | |
GERMANY | MARSHALL ISLANDS |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SOUTH AFRICA |
COSTA RICA | |
GERMANY | MAURITIUS |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SPAIN |
COTE D’IVOIRE | |
GERMANY | MEXICO |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SURINAME |
CROATIA | |
GERMANY | MICRONESIA (Federated States) |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SWEDEN |
CYPRUS | |
GERMANY | MOLDOVA |
NORTH MACEDONIA | SWITZERLAND |
CZECH REPUBLIC | |
GERMANY | MONACO |
NORTH MACEDONIA | TIMOR-LESTE |
DENMARK | |
GERMANY | MONGOLIA |
NORTH MACEDONIA | TOGO |
DJIBOUTI | |
GERMANY | MONTENEGRO |
NORTH MACEDONIA | TURKEY |
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | |
GERMANY | MOZAMBIQUE |
NORTH MACEDONIA | TURKMENISTAN |
ECUADOR | |
GERMANY | NAMIBIA |
NORTH MACEDONIA | TUVALU |
ESTONIA | |
GERMANY | NAURU |
NORTH MACEDONIA | UKRAINE |
FIJI | |
GERMANY | NEPAL |
NORTH MACEDONIA | UNITED KINGDOM |
FINLAND | |
GERMANY | NETHERLANDS |
NORTH MACEDONIA | URUGUAY |
FRANCE | |
GERMANY | NEW ZEALAND |
NORTH MACEDONIA | UZBEKISTAN |
GABON | |
GERMANY | NICARAGUA |
NORTH MACEDONIA | VANUATU |
GEORGIA | |
GERMANY | NIUE |
NORTH MACEDONIA | VENEZUELA |
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 |
CHAD | LUXEMBOURG | SLOVAKIA |
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 |
GEORGIA | NIUE | 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 | |
---|---|
BURKINA FASO | |
EL SALVADOR | GUATEMALA |
KAZAKHSTAN | PERU |
CHILE | |
EL SALVADOR | ISRAEL |
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 | |
---|---|
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM | |
LAOS | LIBERIA |
RUSSIAN FEDERATION | SOUTH KOREA |
CAMEROON | |
LAOS | MALAWI |
RUSSIAN FEDERATION | SRI LANKA |
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC | |
LAOS | MALDIVES |
RUSSIAN FEDERATION | TAJIKISTAN |
ERITREA | |
LAOS | MALI |
RUSSIAN FEDERATION | TANZANIA |
ESWATINI | |
LAOS | MAURITANIA |
RUSSIAN FEDERATION | TONGA |
GHANA** | |
LAOS | MOROCCO/WESTERN SAHARA |
RUSSIAN FEDERATION | TUNISIA |
GRENADA | |
LAOS | MYANMAR |
RUSSIAN FEDERATION | ZAMBIA |
KENYA | |
LAOS | NIGER |
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/WESTERN SAHARA | TUNISIA |
GRENADA | MYANMAR | ZAMBIA |
KENYA | NIGER |
Retentionist Countries
Countries which retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes
AFGHANISTAN | |
---|---|
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA | |
GUYANA | INDIA |
QATAR | SAINT KITTS & NEVIS |
BAHAMAS | |
GUYANA | INDONESIA |
QATAR | SAINT LUCIA |
BAHRAIN | |
GUYANA | IRAN |
QATAR | SAINT VINCENT & GRENADINES |
BANGLADESH | |
GUYANA | IRAQ |
QATAR | SAUDI ARABIA |
BARBADOS | |
GUYANA | JAMAICA |
QATAR | SINGAPORE |
BELARUS | |
GUYANA | JAPAN |
QATAR | SOMALIA |
BELIZE | |
GUYANA | JORDAN |
QATAR | SOUTH SUDAN |
BOTSWANA | |
GUYANA | KUWAIT |
QATAR | SUDAN |
CHINA | |
GUYANA | LEBANON |
QATAR | SYRIA |
COMOROS | |
GUYANA | LESOTHO |
QATAR | TAIWAN |
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | |
GUYANA | LIBYA |
QATAR | THAILAND |
CUBA | |
GUYANA | MALAYSIA* |
QATAR | TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO |
DOMINICA | |
GUYANA | NIGERIA |
QATAR | UGANDA |
EGYPT | |
GUYANA | NORTH KOREA |
QATAR | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES |
EQUATORIAL GUINEA | |
GUYANA | OMAN |
QATAR | UNITED STATES OF AMERICA |
ETHIOPIA | |
GUYANA | PAKISTAN |
QATAR | VIETNAM |
GAMBIA | |
GUYANA | PALESTINE (state of) |
QATAR | YEMEN |
QATAR | ZIMBABWE |
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 |
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | 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 | VIETNAM |
GAMBIA | PALESTINE (state of) | YEMEN |
ZIMBABWE |