In 2022, Amnesty International reported 883 worldwide executions, the highest since 2017, with the recent use of nitrogen gas in Alabama sparking global concerns.
Despite ongoing protests and calls to end capital punishment, executions persist globally, with lethal injection considered one of the more humane methods in the United States.
The first death row execution in US history using nitrogen gas raised constitutional concerns, as the method was deemed unproven and potentially cruel and unusual.
Hanging remains prevalent in countries like India, Iran, Pakistan, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia, often employing short-drop hanging, leading to a more gradual death by strangulation.
Stoning, a brutal method where victims are pelted with stones until death, is permitted in countries such as Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Sudan, the UAE, Northern Nigeria, Mauritania, Iran, Yemen, and Brunei.
Shooting, either by a single shot or firing squads, is a common execution method in countries like China, Taiwan, Belarus, Russia, Indonesia, and Qatar.
Lethal injection, introduced in the US in 1982, has been adopted by China, Taiwan, Thailand, Guatemala, and Vietnam.
Electrocution, practiced only in the US and the Philippines, is legally allowed in some states but only as a secondary method.
Gas chamber, historically used in the US and Lithuania, is currently only legal in Arizona, California, Oklahoma, and Wyoming as an alternative method.
Decapitation, conducted with a sword and currently only used in Saudi Arabia, was historically famous for the guillotine in various countries.