The following data is based on the recent report from Amnesty International for executions in 2018. The report makes use of various sources including official data, individuals facing death and their families, social organisations and media reports.
Last year figures
+ indicates this is the lowest estimate. China’s execution figures are estimated by Dui Hua, a charity that seeks clemency and better treatment for at-risk detainees.
Executions since 2008
Countries and territories where executions are more common over the past decade can be explored in the below graphic
Methods used
There are five main methods of execution. Other methods include stoning, used in two death sentences imposed in Iran recently.
Lethal injection
In 1997 China executed a prisoner by lethal injection for the first time in Kunming, Yunnan. The method has gradually replaced execution by firing squad
Estimated numbers of executions in China
Abolition timeline
More than two-thirds of the world have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
