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Amnesty International’s monitoring of the global use of the death penalty recorded 1,153 known executions in 2023, an increase by 31% from 883 in 2022. However, there was a significant decrease in executing countries, from 20 in 2022 to 16 in 2023.

This report covers the judicial use of the death penalty for the period January to December 2023. Information is collected from a variety of sources, including: official figures; judgments; information from individuals sentenced to death and their families and representatives; media reports; and, as specified, other civil society organizations. Amnesty International reports only on executions, death sentences and other aspects of the use of the death penalty, such as commutations and exonerations, where there is reasonable confirmation. In many countries governments do not publish information on their use of the death penalty. In China and Vietnam, data on the use of the death penalty is classified as a state secret.

During 2023, little or no information was available on some countries — in particular Belarus and North Korea — due to restrictive state practice. Therefore, for a significant number of countries, Amnesty International’s figures on the use of the death penalty are the minimum recorded. The true overall figures are likely to be higher.