Lebanon ends executions: Where does the death penalty still exist in 2026?
Summary
Lebanon has officially ended the death penalty, becoming the first Middle Eastern country to do so. The Lebanese parliament voted to replace capital punishment with life imprisonment with hard labor, and many countries worldwide have also abolished or limited the death penalty.Key Facts
- Lebanon’s parliament, with 128 members, voted to abolish the death penalty.
- Death sentences in Lebanon will now be replaced by life imprisonment with hard labor.
- Lebanon had not carried out executions since 2004 but still sentenced people to death until now.
- At the end of 2025, 85 people were under death sentences in Lebanon.
- Nearly 75% of countries worldwide have abolished the death penalty legally or stopped using it for more than 10 years.
- 113 countries abolished the death penalty for all crimes; 9 abolished it only for normal crimes; 23 have abolition in practice.
- 54 countries still keep and use the death penalty.
- Worldwide executions rose by 78% in 2025, mainly due to a large increase in Iran.
- Amnesty International reports China’s executions are not included in official counts but are believed to be very high.
- Executions took place in 17 countries in 2025, continuing a trend of historically low numbers since 2018.
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