- Spike in recorded executions in Iran leads to highest number of recorded executions since 2015
- In sub-Saharan Africa, recorded executions more than tripled and recorded death sentences increased by 66%
- Somalia was the only country known to have carried out executions in the region
Recorded executions soared to their highest number in almost a decade in 2023 with a sharp rise across the Middle East and in Somalia, where executions increased by more than six times, Amnesty International said today as it released its
annual report on the global use of the death penalty
Globally, a total of 1,153 known executions took place in 2023, which does not include the thousands believed to have been carried out in China, marking an increase of more than 30% from 2022. It was the highest figure recorded by Amnesty International since 2015, when 1,634 people were known to have been executed. Despite this increase, the number of countries that carried out executions reached the lowest figure on record with Amnesty International.
