The death penalty worldwide: facts and figures according to Amnesty International

The death penalty is an execution by state authorities after a corresponding conviction, i.e. killing by the state. 54 countries around the world still practice the death penalty, but 145 countries have abolished it, according to a count by the human rights organization Amnesty International.

Last year there were 2,707 confirmed executions in 17 countries, the highest number since 1981. However, Amnesty assumes that the number of unreported cases is enormous. Several thousand people may have been executed in the People's Republic of China alone, but the numbers are considered a state secret.

After China, the most executions took place in Iran (at least 2,159) and Saudi Arabia (at least 356). Last year, 47 criminals were executed in the USA, most of them by lethal injection. Other common killing methods worldwide include hanging, shooting, beheading and gassing.

The death penalty is no longer carried out in most democracies. In addition to the USA, the major exceptions are Japan and Taiwan. In Europe, the abolition of the death penalty is a prerequisite for membership in the Council of Europe. In the Federal Republic of Germany it was banned in the Basic Law in 1949.