A troubling new report by Amnesty International reveals that 2024 saw the highest number of recorded executions in a decade, driven by sharp increases in Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The spike, while geographically concentrated, is a wake-up call for international human rights watchdogs and governments that believed capital punishment was in irreversible decline.
Death by the Numbers
Amnesty confirmed 1,518 executions globally in 2024, a 32% increase from the previous year, and the most since 2015. Even this alarming number is a conservative estimate. China, North Korea, and Vietnam—three of the world’s most opaque and authoritarian states—are believed to carry out executions at massive scales, yet remain black holes in Amnesty’s data.
The three Middle Eastern countries—Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia—accounted for a staggering 91% of all known executions worldwide:
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Iran led the way with 972 executions, including 30 women. Half were reportedly for drug-related offences, a direct violation of international norms.
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Saudi Arabia doubled its tally from 172 to at least 345 executions, many believed to be public.
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Iraq executed 63 people, nearly four times more than in 2023, all under terrorism laws.
Amnesty was blunt: the death penalty is increasingly used not for justice—but for control.
The Weaponization of the Death Penalty
Amnesty’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard didn’t mince words, calling out governments that use executions to silence dissent. Her remarks are especially pointed when considering Iran’s execution of protesters and Saudi Arabia’s continued targeting of political opponents under vague terrorism laws.
Even more alarming: over 40% of the world’s executions last year were tied to drug-related charges, despite the lack of evidence that capital punishment deters trafficking or use.
This is a glaring violation of international human rights law, which explicitly forbids the use of the death penalty for non-violent crimes.
The Global Divide
While executions are surging in a few key countries, the broader global trend tells a different story:
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Only 15 countries carried out executions in 2024—the lowest on record.
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113 countries have now fully abolished the death penalty.
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Two-thirds of UN member states voted for a moratorium on its use.
The takeaway? Capital punishment is increasingly the practice of a shrinking, isolated club—often authoritarian states where judicial transparency is minimal, and repression is routine.
The U.S. and the Politics of Punishment
Though the U.S. ranks far below Middle Eastern countries in terms of execution volume, it remains the only G7 country still actively carrying out executions. In 2024, the U.S. executed 25 individuals, the most since 2018.
With former President Donald Trump signaling he would “vigorously pursue” capital punishment if elected, the issue may soon return to the center of American political discourse.
This runs counter to the broader global momentum—and Biden’s own campaign pledge to phase it out federally has so far produced no lasting reform.
The Road Ahead
The Amnesty report underscores the urgent need for sustained diplomatic and institutional pressure. Capital punishment does not correlate with improved public safety. It doesn’t deter crime. But it does offer regimes a convenient mechanism to project strength and punish dissent—often arbitrarily and irreversibly.
The growing moral consensus against the death penalty is real. But in Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, that consensus is not enough.
The world must go beyond statistics—and confront the political systems that continue to kill under the guise of justice.
