"Country names listed reflect nomenclature in May 2023" and “This map indicates the general locations of boundaries and jurisdictions and should not be interpreted as Amnesty International’s view on disputed territories”.
Amnesty International recorded 883 executions in 20 countries in 2022, marking a 53% increase from 579 recorded in 2021. This figure represents the highest number of executions that Amnesty International has recorded in the past five years (since 2017, when 993 executions were recorded).
China remained the world’s leading executioner, but the true extent of the use of the death penalty in this country remains unknown as this data remains classified as a state secret. The global figure recorded by Amnesty International excludes the thousands of executions believed to have been carried out in China, as well as those carried out in Viet Nam and North Korea where Amnesty International believes the death penalty was resorted to extensively.
Most known executions took place in China (1000s), Iran (at least 576) Saudi Arabia (196), Egypt (24), and the USA (18).
In 2022, 93% of known global executions (excluding China) were carried out in the Middle East and North Africa.
The 196 executions recorded in Saudi Arabia were the highest yearly total known for this country in 30 years.
A total of 13 women were known to have been executed in the world: Iran (12) and Saudi Arabia (1).
Amnesty International recorded executions in 20 countries, compared to 18 countries in 2021.
325 executions were recorded for drug-related offences: 255 in Iran; 57 in Saudi Arabia; 11 in Singapore; and in China (+). In calculating the global total of executions carried out for drug-related offences, two were counted for China in accordance with Amnesty International’s research methodology.
At least 3 public executions were recorded in Afghanistan (1+) and Iran (2).
In Iran, at least 5 people were executed for crimes that occurred when they were below 18 years of age.