Amnesty International reveals which countries carry out the most executions in the world. Despite there still being almost 1,000 executions across 23 countries last year 20 countries across sub-Saharan Africa have now abolished the death penalty for all crimes, the human rights charity said, The Mirror reported.

China has been named as the world's top executioner as Amnesty International revealed there were at least 993 executions across 23 countries last year.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan follow behind the eastern country (in that order).

However we are seeing a decline in the amount of execution year-on-year with figures showing they are down down by 4% from 2016 (1,032 executions) and 39% from 2015 (when the organization reported 1,634 executions, the highest number since 1989)

The latest annual report on the death penalty has also called sub-Saharan Africa a "beacon of hope" amid a decline in executions worldwide.

Twenty countries across sub-Saharan Africa have now abolished the death penalty for all crimes, the human rights charity said.

Just two countries in the region, Somalia and South Sudan, carried out executions last year.

China remained the world’s top executioner – but the true extent of the use of the death penalty in the country is unknown as this data is classified as a state secret.

The global figure of at least 993 excludes the thousands of executions believed to have been carried out in China.

Excluding China, 84% of all reported executions took place in just four countries – Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan.