According to Amnesty International’s annual death penalty report for 2023, 16 countries carried out the 1,153 known executions last year, constituting the lowest number of executing countries on record with the organization but the highest recorded execution numbers since 2015. The 31% global increase in recorded executions is attributable to the 48% rise in executions in Iran (at least 853 executions), which accounted for 74% of recorded executions worldwide. Saudi Arabia came in second with 172 executions – a slight decrease from the 196 executions the previous year – accounting for 15% of the known global total. Following these two nations was Somalia (at least 38 executions), which accounted for executions in sub-Saharan Africa more than tripling, the United States (24 executions), and Iraq (at least 16 executions).
The number of new death sentences increased by 20% to 2,428 in 2023, the highest total since 2018; however, difficulties accessing information across countries makes annual comparisons difficult. 52 countries handed down new death sentences, representing no change in the total number of countries from the year prior, although the identification of countries differed slightly with five countries with death sentences in 2022 having none in 2023 and five others imposed death sentences in 2023 after a hiatus. Commutations or pardons occurred in 27 countries, as well as 9 exonerations that occurred in Kenya (5), the U.S. (3), and Zimbabwe (1).
