Special Report
Every Country That Has Abolished the Death Penalty, and When
Published:
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More and more countries have turned away from the death penalty. Since 1976, 75 nations have struck down capital punishment for all crimes, according to Death Penalty Information Center. Others have abolished the death penalty for “ordinary crimes” but allow it only for exceptional crimes or those committed in exceptional circumstances.
In all,144 countries no longer impose the death penalty either through their laws or in practice, Amnesty International reports. (On the other hand, these are the 18 countries still enacting the death penalty.)
To find which countries have abolished the death penalty and when, 24/7 Wall St. referenced the Death Penalty Information Center. Countries are ordered chronologically by when they completely abolished the death penalty.
Portugal was the first in the wave of countries that abolished capital punishment beginning in 1976. The latest nation to make the same move was Papua New Guinea, which took the death penalty off the books just this year.
Nearly all European countries have abolished the death penalty. And though Russia retains it, there has been a moratorium on executions there since 1996-1997. Belarus is the only Eurpoean country that fully retains capital punishment, even recently adding crimes to the list of those punishable by death.
Many South American countries, too, have abolished capital punishment, though a few, such as Brazil and Peru have only abolished it for “ordinary crimes” and are not on the list. Many African nations, including Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, and Congo, have also abolished the death penalty.
On the other hand, many Asian countries, including Japan, China, and India, as well as Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar, retain the death penalty.
Similarly, and unlike its neighbors Canada and Mexico, the U.S. is not in the list. The federal government and the military permit capital punishment, though the Biden Administration has placed a moratorium on carrying out federal death sentences since July 1, 2021.
In addition, each state can decide whether to impose the death penalty by legislative action. Between 2009 and 2021, New Mexico, Illinois, Connecticut, Maryland, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Virginia have removed the death penalty from their laws. In total, 23 states have no death penalty, while 27 retain the death penalty, though three – California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania – have a moratorium. See the states with the most people on death row.
Click here to see every country that has abolished the death penalty, and when.
Portugal
> Year abolished death penalty: 1976
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Denmark
> Year abolished death penalty: 1978
Luxembourg
> Year abolished death penalty: 1979
Nicaragua
> Year abolished death penalty: 1979
Norway
> Year abolished death penalty: 1979
Cape Verde
> Year abolished death penalty: 1981
France
> Year abolished death penalty: 1981
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The Netherlands
> Year abolished death penalty: 1982
Australia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1985
Haiti
> Year abolished death penalty: 1987
Liechtenstein
> Year abolished death penalty: 1987
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The German Democratic Republic
> Year abolished death penalty: 1987
Cambodia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1989
New Zealand
> Year abolished death penalty: 1989
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Romania
> Year abolished death penalty: 1989
Slovenia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1989
Andorra
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990
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Croatia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990
Hungary
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990
Ireland
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990
Mozambique
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990
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Namibia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990
Sao Tomé and Principe
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990
The Czech and Slovak Federal Republic
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990
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Angola
> Year abolished death penalty: 1992
Paraguay
> Year abolished death penalty: 1992
Switzerland
> Year abolished death penalty: 1992
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Guinea-Bissau
> Year abolished death penalty: 1993
Hong Kong
> Year abolished death penalty: 1993
Seychelles
> Year abolished death penalty: 1993
Italy
> Year abolished death penalty: 1994
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Djibouti
> Year abolished death penalty: 1995
Mauritius
> Year abolished death penalty: 1995
Moldova
> Year abolished death penalty: 1995
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Spain
> Year abolished death penalty: 1995
Belgium
> Year abolished death penalty: 1996
Georgia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1997
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Nepal
> Year abolished death penalty: 1997
Poland
> Year abolished death penalty: 1997
South Africa
> Year abolished death penalty: 1997
Azerbaijan
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998
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Bulgaria
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998
Canada
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998
Estonia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998
Lithuania
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998
United Kingdom
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998
East Timor
> Year abolished death penalty: 1999
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Turkmenistan
> Year abolished death penalty: 1999
Ukraine
> Year abolished death penalty: 1999
Cote d’Ivoire
> Year abolished death penalty: 2000
Malta
> Year abolished death penalty: 2000
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Bosnia-Herzegovina
> Year abolished death penalty: 2001
Cyprus
> Year abolished death penalty: 2002
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now two states Serbia and Montenegro)
> Year abolished death penalty: 2002
Bhutan
> Year abolished death penalty: 2004
Samoa
> Year abolished death penalty: 2004
Senegal
> Year abolished death penalty: 2004
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Turkey
> Year abolished death penalty: 2004
Liberia
> Year abolished death penalty: 2005
Mexico
> Year abolished death penalty: 2005
Philippines
> Year abolished death penalty: 2006
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Albania
> Year abolished death penalty: 2007
Rwanda
> Year abolished death penalty: 2007
Argentina
> Year abolished death penalty: 2008
Chile
> Year abolished death penalty: 2008
Uzbekistan
> Year abolished death penalty: 2008
Burundi
> Year abolished death penalty: 2009
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Togo
> Year abolished death penalty: 2009
Gabon
> Year abolished death penalty: 2010
Latvia
> Year abolished death penalty: 2012
Bolivia
> Year abolished death penalty: 2013
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Congo (republic)
> Year abolished death penalty: 2015
Fiji
> Year abolished death penalty: 2015
Madagascar
> Year abolished death penalty: 2015
Suriname
> Year abolished death penalty: 2015
Benin
> Year abolished death penalty: 2016
Nauru
> Year abolished death penalty: 2016
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Guinea
> Year abolished death penalty: 2017
Burkina Faso
> Year abolished death penalty: 2018
Chad
> Year abolished death penalty: 2020
Kazakhstan
> Year abolished death penalty: 2021
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Sierra Leone
> Year abolished death penalty: 2021
Papua New Guinea
> Year abolished death penalty: 2022
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