Declining Death

Since capital punishment was reintroduced in the USA in 1977, about 1,400 people have been killed. The number of annual executions steadily rose through 2000, peaking at almost 100. Since then, the number of executions has declined annually except for 2002, 2005 and 2008. In 2016, there were 20 executions. For perspective, China executes thousands/year, followed by Iran at about 950, Pakistan at about 300 and Saudi Arabia at 150.