The death penalty is a type of capital punishment in which the accused is put to death as punishment for the crime he committed. The death sentence is a judicial decree in which the accused is sentenced to death. The capital punishment is awarded for those crimes that are considered capital crimes such as murder, terrorism, and other severe crimes. The capital punishment or death penalty was practiced more often in the societies in the past, but now most of the developed nations have abolished this punishment. There are only 58 countries currently practicing the death penalty punishment. Though the human rights activists are against this type of punishment, still death penalty is a controversial matter and arguments are available in support and against this type of capital punishment. In terms of the number of countries who abolished this punishment, they are more numerous than the countries where the death penalty is still practiced, but in terms of population, there is still 60% of the world’s population which lives in the countries where the death penalty is still practiced. The death penalty punishment is still available in four of the most populous countries in the world, including China, India, Indonesia, and the United States.