International Death Penalty Status

All data is from Amnesty International’s 2021 report on the global status of the death penalty. Below, find Amnesty International’s definitions, and the language ProCon has used to conform to site standards, followed by a list of each country and the status of the death penalty therein.

Legal (Retentionist): “Countries that retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes.”

Illegal in Practice (Abolitionist in Practice): “Countries that 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 last 10 years and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions.”

Exceptional Crimes Only (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.”

Illegal for All Crimes (Abolitionist for All Crimes): “Countries whose laws do not provide for the death penalty for any crime.”

Source: Amnesty International, “Death Sentences and Executions 2020,” amnesty.org, 2021