The global debate over the death penalty

The death penalty remains one of the most contested forms of criminal punishment, with governments and societies divided over its role in public security, deterrence and justice.

While 145 countries have abolished capital punishment in law or practice, 113 have abolished it for all crimes. Yet a minority of countries continue to retain and enforce the death penalty. Only 17 countries carried out executions in 2025.

Why do some countries retain the death penalty?

Supporters argue that capital punishment is necessary in some circumstances to protect public safety and maintain order, particularly amid concerns over violent crime and lawlessness.

Deterrence is another central argument. Proponents say the prospect of execution can discourage people from committing serious violent crimes. Historical arguments have also held that execution could, in rare circumstances, be necessary to preserve national liberty or security during periods of extreme instability.

What are the main arguments against it?

Opponents argue that the state should not have the authority to take a person's life. One formulation of that position is that "no life is the State's to take".

Archbishop Desmond Tutu expressed a similar argument, saying: "To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice".

International organisations and human rights frameworks have also advocated for a global moratorium on executions.

Does the death penalty deter crime?

Opponents argue that capital punishment does not effectively deter determined offenders.

Philosopher Cesare Beccaria argued that execution was only a "momentary spectacle", while continued deprivation of liberty through imprisonment provided a more effective deterrent.

The debate over deterrence remains central to arguments on both sides of the issue. Supporters view the threat of execution as a tool for preventing violent crime, while opponents point to historical and contemporary evidence that they say shows it is ineffective.

What is the risk of executing an innocent person?

One of the strongest arguments against capital punishment is that an execution cannot be reversed.

Opponents argue that the possibility of wrongful convictions creates a permanent risk of executing innocent people. Unlike other sentences, an execution leaves no possibility of correcting the punishment after the fact.

Are death sentences applied consistently?

Legal analysis has found that death sentences can be imposed arbitrarily rather than consistently.

Opponents also point to biases involving race, mental illness, intellectual disability and the quality of legal representation. These concerns form part of the broader argument that the outcome of a capital case can depend on factors beyond the underlying crime.

Historically, mandatory capital punishment also affected jury decisions. When execution was an obligatory sentence, juries sometimes refused to deliver guilty verdicts because they did not want the defendant to face execution.

Is the death penalty more expensive?

Managing capital cases and death rows places a significantly higher financial burden on taxpayers than alternative sentences such as life imprisonment, according to arguments against capital punishment.

The additional costs associated with capital cases are therefore another factor cited by opponents of the death penalty.

Which countries still carry out executions?

China carries out more executions than any other country, with thousands of people executed annually, although exact figures are kept as a classified state secret.

Iran recorded at least 1,500 executions in 2025, its highest total in 35 years. Saudi Arabia put at least 356 people to death in the same year.

Iran and Saudi Arabia together accounted for 93% of all confirmed executions worldwide in 2025, excluding China.

The US recorded 47 executions in 2025. The US and Trinidad and Tobago are the only countries in North and South America to have recently imposed capital punishment.

Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, Somalia, Kuwait and Singapore also frequently rank among countries carrying out executions or imposing new death sentences.

Where is capital punishment still allowed?

Belarus is the only country in Europe and Central Asia that still imposes the death penalty.

In the Middle East and North Africa, countries including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Afghanistan retain or use capital punishment. Israel has also passed legislation imposing death sentences in military courts for specific deadly attacks.

In the Asia-Pacific region, countries including North Korea, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Thailand and Indonesia maintain capital punishment statutes or regularly issue death sentences.

In sub-Saharan Africa, 14 countries recently handed down death sentences. Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded the highest counts in the region.

How many countries have abolished the death penalty?

The global trend has moved towards abolition. A total of 145 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, including 113 that have abolished it for all crimes.

In 1980, only 28 countries had abolished capital punishment for all crimes.

The sources also note that no country that has completely abolished the death penalty has ever brought it back permanently.

Countries that no longer carry out executions fall into several legal categories.

Some have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Others have abolished it for ordinary crimes but retain it in law for exceptional circumstances, such as military justice or crimes committed during wartime. A third group retains capital punishment in law but has established a formal or official moratorium on executions.

Which countries have recently abolished it?

Four countries officially abolished the death penalty in 2022: Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic.

The change was part of a broader expansion of abolition over recent decades, although a minority of countries continue to impose and carry out capital punishment.