China tops world execution list but true number of killings remains a mystery

China is believed to have executed more people than the rest of the world combined in 2016, as the number of death penalties across the globe fell by 37 percent overall. Key points: The number of executions globally fell by 37 per cent in 2016 The fall was driven largely by fewer executions in Iran and Pakistan China is the world's largest executioner while the USA fell from the top five An Amnesty International report found there were 1,032 state- However Amnesty's annual tally excludes China, where the true number of people sentenced to death is a state secret but is thought to be "in the thousands". Why global executions fell last year Amnesty said a fall in the number of executions worldwide was largely driven by fewer deaths recorded in Iran and Pakistan. It was the first time in five years the US has not been among the world's top five executioners — China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan in 2016. Government officials did not immediately comment on Amnesty's report, however China's chief justice, Zhou Qiang, told the national legislature last month that over the past decade executions were limited to "an extremely small number of criminals for extremely serious offences".