Lebanon abolishes executions as death penalty persists in few nations in 2026

Amnesty International reports that three‑quarters of the world’s nations have either formally abolished the death penalty or have ceased carrying out executions in practice. The organization’s latest global assessment indicates that 108 out of 193 United Nations member states have removed capital punishment from their legal systems, while an additional 44 retain the penalty in law but have not executed anyone for at least a decade, effectively placing them in the “de facto abolition” category.

The trend reflects a steady increase in abolition over the past two decades, driven by legislative reforms in Europe, the Americas, and parts of Africa and Asia. Notable recent developments include the removal of capital punishment from the statutes of Kazakhstan, Sierra Leone and the United Arab Emirates. Conversely, a minority of countries—primarily in the Middle East, East Asia and the United States—continue to retain and apply the death penalty, accounting for the remaining 25 percent of jurisdictions.

Amnesty International’s findings underscore a growing global consensus against capital punishment, suggesting that the practice may continue to decline as more states align with international human‑rights standards. The organization urges remaining death‑penalty jurisdictions to join the abolitionist movement, citing the worldwide shift as evidence of an emerging normative consensus.