The Ledger · Entry 39
Are more countries abolishing the death penalty?
Yes. Number of countries worldwide that have abolished the death penalty for all crimes was 16 in 1977. By 2024 it was 113. Data retrieved 2026-08-22.
More countries have abolished the death penalty since 1977
Data: Amnesty International
Amnesty International has tracked which countries have abolished the death penalty since it began campaigning against it in 1977, when only 16 countries had done so for all crimes. Country by country, the list has grown: by 1991 it stood at 44, by 1999 at 68, and by 2024 at 113, more than half the world's countries.
The key rows
From the record
Executions in 2025 soared to the highest figure recorded by Amnesty International since 1981, with 2,707 people executed across 17 countries
That legal trend has not stopped executions worldwide from rising. A small number of retentionist states carry out the overwhelming majority of them, and Amnesty International recorded 2,707 executions across 17 countries in 2025, the highest figure it has tracked since 1981. Abolition in law is real progress, but on its own it has not translated into fewer people being put to death each year.
Asked often
How many countries have abolished the death penalty?
As of 2024, 113 countries had abolished the death penalty for all crimes, according to Amnesty International, up from 16 in 1977 when the organization began campaigning on the issue. Dozens more have abolished it for ordinary crimes only or stopped executing people in practice.
Does this mean fewer people are being executed?
Not necessarily. The number of abolitionist countries keeps growing, but Amnesty International recorded 2,707 executions across 17 countries in 2025, the highest figure it has tracked since 1981, driven mostly by a handful of states that still execute large numbers of people. Legal abolition and the actual use of the death penalty are two different trends.
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