The following is a summary of the use of capital punishment by country.
Historically, capital punishment has been used in almost every part of the world. Currently, the large majority of countries have either abolished or discontinued the practice. The U.S. is the only Western country to use the death penalty. The use of capital punishment is usually divided into the four categories set out below. As of 1 December 2016, of the 195 independent states that are UN members or have UN observer status:
Recent complete abolition of capital punishment
Of the countries considered to be industrialized, just four countries continue to perform capital punishment: the United States, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan. (In South Korea, there is a moratorium.)
The European Union holds a strong position against the death penalty; its abolition is a key objective for the Union’s human rights policy. Abolition is also a pre-condition for entry into the Union. In Europe, only Belarus continues capital punishment.
Russia retains the death penalty in law, but there is a moratorium. The last execution on Russian territory was in Chechnya in 1999. Of the other former Soviet republics, only Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan have not formally abolished capital punishment, and only Belarus uses it in practice. In Kazakhstan, it may only be used in exceptional/special circumstances such as for crimes committed in wartime.
Most executions worldwide take place in Asia. China is the world's most active death penalty country. North Korea often uses capital punishment. In Islamic countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, the numbers of executions are also very high. Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan belong to the few industrialized democracies that have the death penalty (South Korea has a moratorium). In 2016, Nauru & Mongolia repealed the death penalty, while in the Philippines, the newly elected President, Rodrigo Duterte, wants to bring it back. India executes criminals only in extreme cases. A total of 26 executions have taken place in India since 1991 which is a low execution rate compared to other countries.