In total, 17 inmates were executed in the United States in 2020. Of these, five of the people who were executed were Black. The death penalty is authorized by 27 states and the federal government in the United States.
Number of prisoners executed in the United States in 2020, by ethnicity
Characteristic
Number of prisoners
White
11
Black
5
Total
17
02.557.51012.51517.520
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The data for white and black inmates include persons of Hispanic/Latino origin. The data for the total number includes American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asians, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders.
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Veera Korhonen
Research expert covering United States data for society
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US Bureau of Justice Statistics. (December 10, 2021). Number of prisoners executed in the United States in 2020, by ethnicity [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 23, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/199002/number-of-prisoners-executed-in-the-us-in-2013/
US Bureau of Justice Statistics. "Number of prisoners executed in the United States in 2020, by ethnicity." Chart. December 10, 2021. Statista. Accessed April 23, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/199002/number-of-prisoners-executed-in-the-us-in-2013/
US Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2021). Number of prisoners executed in the United States in 2020, by ethnicity. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: April 23, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/199002/number-of-prisoners-executed-in-the-us-in-2013/
US Bureau of Justice Statistics. "Number of Prisoners Executed in The United States in 2020, by Ethnicity." Statista, Statista Inc., 10 Dec 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/199002/number-of-prisoners-executed-in-the-us-in-2013/
US Bureau of Justice Statistics, Number of prisoners executed in the United States in 2020, by ethnicity Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/199002/number-of-prisoners-executed-in-the-us-in-2013/ (last visited April 23, 2025)
Number of prisoners executed in the United States in 2020, by ethnicity [Graph], US Bureau of Justice Statistics, December 10, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/199002/number-of-prisoners-executed-in-the-us-in-2013/
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