Facts & figures

Source: 'The Death Penalty', Amnesty International

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Summary of abolitionist and retentionist countries
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89 countries	Abolitionist for all crimes	129 countries in total
10 countries	Abolitionist except for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide
30 countries	Abolitionist in practice (formally retain capital punishment but have not carried out executions for at least 10 years)
68 countries	Retentionist

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The death penalty in 2006
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In 2006, at least 1,591 people were executed in 25 countries, and at least 3,861 people were sentenced to death in 55 countries. Ninety-one per cent of all known executions in 2006 took place in China, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan and the US.

• Based on public reports Amnesty International estimates that China executed at least 1,010 people during the year, but believes that the true figure sits in fact between 7,500 and 8,000.
• Iran executed 177 people.
• Pakistan executed 82 people.
• Iraq and Sudan each carried out at least 65 executions .
• In the US there were 53 executions.
• Executions were also carried out in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, North Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Syria, Uganda, Vietnam and Yemen.

Since 1990, over 40 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Usually, countries which have abolished capital punishment do not reintroduce it. Since 1985, only four countries have reinstated capital punishment after having abolished it: Gambia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and the Phillippines. Nepal and the Phillippines have since abolished the death penalty once again; and, in Gambia and Papua New Guinea, there have been no executions.

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Execution methods in use
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• beheading
• electrocution
• hanging
• lethal injection
• shooting
• stabbing
• stoning