A sharp rise in the number of people put to death in Iraq and Iran caused a global spike in executions in 2013, Amnesty International says.
The human right’s group annual review of the death penalty found a jump of almost 15% compared with 2012.
China is thought to execute the most people, although the exact number of executions there is kept secret.
Elsewhere, at least 778 executions are known to have been carried out in 2013, compared with 682 in 2012.
At least 369 people were killed in Iran while Iraq saw a stark rise in its executions, with 169 being killed, CNN informs.
Number of executions
China — 1000+
Iran — 369+
Iraq — 169+
Saudi Arabia — 79+
United States — 39
Somalia — 34+
Sudan — 21+
Yemen — 13+
Japan — 8
Vietnam — 7
Taiwan — 6
Indonesia — 5
Kuwait — 5
South Sudan — 4+
Nigeria — 4
Palestinian Authority (Gaza) — 3+
Afghanistan — 2
Bangladesh — 2
Malaysia — 2
Botswana — 1
India — 1
