There are between 500 and 1,000 women on death row in at least 42 countries, according to a 2023 report by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. The countries that execute the most women are also the countries that execute the most people, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
According to Amnesty International, in 2024 an unknown number of women were executed in China, two were put to death in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen. Some countries, including China, North Korea and Vietnam, do not publish accurate data.
The two main crimes for which women are sentenced to death are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with a mandatory death penalty for murder or that do not recognise gender-based violence as a mitigating circumstance are more likely to have a high number of women on death row.
