Special Report

Every Country That Has Abolished the Death Penalty, and When

MivPiv / iStock via Getty Images

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.

Raul_Mellado / iStock via Getty Images

Portugal
> Year abolished death penalty: 1976

[in-text-ad]

olli0815 / iStock via Getty Images

Denmark
> Year abolished death penalty: 1978

querbeet / iStock via Getty Images

Luxembourg
> Year abolished death penalty: 1979

Mlenny / E+ via Getty Images

Nicaragua
> Year abolished death penalty: 1979

Ekely / iStock via Getty Images

Norway
> Year abolished death penalty: 1979

cinoby / E+ via Getty Images

Cape Verde
> Year abolished death penalty: 1981

aristotoo / E+ via Getty Images

France
> Year abolished death penalty: 1981

[in-text-ad-2]

mihaiulia / iStock via Getty Images

The Netherlands
> Year abolished death penalty: 1982

Mlenny / E+ via Getty Images

Australia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1985

james74 / iStock via Getty Images

Haiti
> Year abolished death penalty: 1987

Liechtenstein
> Year abolished death penalty: 1987

[in-text-ad]

NataliaMills / iStock via Getty Images

The German Democratic Republic
> Year abolished death penalty: 1987

urf / iStock via Getty Images

Cambodia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1989

BrianScantlebury / iStock via Getty Images

New Zealand
> Year abolished death penalty: 1989

karenfoleyphotography / iStock via Getty Images

Romania
> Year abolished death penalty: 1989

photos / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Slovenia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1989

Gwengoat / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

Andorra
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990

[in-text-ad-2]

Bernarda Kalamar / iStock via Getty Images

Croatia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990

PEDRE / E+ via Getty Images

Hungary
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990

MOF / E+ via Getty Images

Ireland
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990

Jacek_Sopotnicki / iStock via Getty Images

Mozambique
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990

[in-text-ad]

Nate Hovee / iStock via Getty Images

Namibia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990

Xinovap / iStock via Getty Images

Sao Tomé and Principe
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990

mirovic / iStock via Getty Images

The Czech and Slovak Federal Republic
> Year abolished death penalty: 1990

FrankvandenBergh / iStock via Getty Images

Angola
> Year abolished death penalty: 1992

Donyanedomam / Getty Images

Paraguay
> Year abolished death penalty: 1992

StockByM / iStock via Getty Images

Switzerland
> Year abolished death penalty: 1992

[in-text-ad-2]

Tiago_Fernandez / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Guinea-Bissau
> Year abolished death penalty: 1993

CHUNYIP WONG / iStock via Getty Images

Hong Kong
> Year abolished death penalty: 1993

znm / iStock via Getty Images

Seychelles
> Year abolished death penalty: 1993

MasterLu / iStock via Getty Images

Italy
> Year abolished death penalty: 1994

[in-text-ad]

mtcurado / iStock via Getty Images

Djibouti
> Year abolished death penalty: 1995

Konstik / iStock via Getty Images

Mauritius
> Year abolished death penalty: 1995

vlitvinov / Flickr

Moldova
> Year abolished death penalty: 1995

filophoto / iStock via Getty Images

Spain
> Year abolished death penalty: 1995

MarioGuti / iStock via Getty Images

Belgium
> Year abolished death penalty: 1996

Marta_Kent / iStock via Getty Images

Georgia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1997

[in-text-ad-2]

12596926 / iStock via Getty Images

Nepal
> Year abolished death penalty: 1997

castenoid / Getty Images

Poland
> Year abolished death penalty: 1997

JacquesKloppers / iStock via Getty Images

South Africa
> Year abolished death penalty: 1997

master2 / iStock via Getty Images

Azerbaijan
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998

[in-text-ad]

hdesislava / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Bulgaria
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998

bukharova / iStock via Getty Images

Canada
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998

Estonia
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998

Mindaugas Dulinskas / iStock via Getty Images

Lithuania
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998

Leonid Andronov / iStock via Getty Images

United Kingdom
> Year abolished death penalty: 1998

mtcurado / iStock via Getty Images

East Timor
> Year abolished death penalty: 1999

[in-text-ad-2]

mtcurado / iStock via Getty Images

Turkmenistan
> Year abolished death penalty: 1999

olga_prava / iStock via Getty Images

Ukraine
> Year abolished death penalty: 1999

brendanvanson / iStock via Getty Images

Cote d’Ivoire
> Year abolished death penalty: 2000

javarman3 / iStock via Getty Images

Malta
> Year abolished death penalty: 2000

[in-text-ad]

Greg Sullavan / iStock via Getty Images

Bosnia-Herzegovina
> Year abolished death penalty: 2001

Cyprus
> Year abolished death penalty: 2002

SStajic / iStock via Getty Images

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now two states Serbia and Montenegro)
> Year abolished death penalty: 2002

CrystalFoto / iStock via Getty Images

Bhutan
> Year abolished death penalty: 2004

mtcurado / iStock via Getty Images

Samoa
> Year abolished death penalty: 2004

IgorSPb / iStock via Getty Images

Senegal
> Year abolished death penalty: 2004

[in-text-ad-2]

Thankful Photography / iStock via Getty Images

Turkey
> Year abolished death penalty: 2004

jbdodane / iStock via Getty Images

Liberia
> Year abolished death penalty: 2005

stockcam / E+ via Getty Images

Mexico
> Year abolished death penalty: 2005

artran / iStock via Getty Images

Philippines
> Year abolished death penalty: 2006

[in-text-ad]

Mlenny / iStock via Getty Images

Albania
> Year abolished death penalty: 2007

Vadim_Nefedov / iStock via Getty Images

Rwanda
> Year abolished death penalty: 2007

narvikk / iStock via Getty Images

Argentina
> Year abolished death penalty: 2008

Chile
> Year abolished death penalty: 2008

taniche / iStock via Getty Images

Uzbekistan
> Year abolished death penalty: 2008

mtcurado / iStock via Getty Images

Burundi
> Year abolished death penalty: 2009

[in-text-ad-2]

mtcurado / iStock via Getty Images

Togo
> Year abolished death penalty: 2009

mtcurado / iStock via Getty Images

Gabon
> Year abolished death penalty: 2010

Marcus Lindstrom / E+ via Getty Images

Latvia
> Year abolished death penalty: 2012

StreetFlash / iStock via Getty Images

Bolivia
> Year abolished death penalty: 2013

[in-text-ad]

Claudine Silaho Weber-Hilty / iStock via Getty Images

Congo (republic)
> Year abolished death penalty: 2015

Whitehavengirl / iStock via Getty Images

Fiji
> Year abolished death penalty: 2015

Aurelie1 / Getty Images

Madagascar
> Year abolished death penalty: 2015

mathess / iStock via Getty Images

Suriname
> Year abolished death penalty: 2015

derejeb / iStock via Getty Images

Benin
> Year abolished death penalty: 2016

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Nauru
> Year abolished death penalty: 2016

[in-text-ad-2]

viti / iStock via Getty Images

Guinea
> Year abolished death penalty: 2017

mtcurado / iStock via Getty Images

Burkina Faso
> Year abolished death penalty: 2018

HomoCosmicos / iStock via Getty Images

Chad
> Year abolished death penalty: 2020

Kyrylo Neiezhmakov / iStock via Getty Images

Kazakhstan
> Year abolished death penalty: 2021

[in-text-ad]

mtcurado / iStock via Getty Images

Sierra Leone
> Year abolished death penalty: 2021

GenDeschenes / iStock via Getty Images

Papua New Guinea
> Year abolished death penalty: 2022

Is Your Money Earning the Best Possible Rate? (Sponsor)

Let’s face it: If your money is just sitting in a checking account, you’re losing value every single day. With most checking accounts offering little to no interest, the cash you worked so hard to save is gradually being eroded by inflation.

However, by moving that money into a high-yield savings account, you can put your cash to work, growing steadily with little to no effort on your part. In just a few clicks, you can set up a high-yield savings account and start earning interest immediately.

There are plenty of reputable banks and online platforms that offer competitive rates, and many of them come with zero fees and no minimum balance requirements. Click here to see if you’re earning the best possible rate on your money!

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.