April 15 (Bloomberg) -- China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan carried out most of the known executions worldwide in 2007, Amnesty International said in a report that called upon governments to openly publish numbers of those killed.

``As in previous years, the vast majority of executions worldwide were carried out in a small handful of countries,'' the human rights campaigner said in a report entitled ``Death Sentences and Executions in 2007.'' China executed at least 470 people, Iran 317, Saudi Arabia 143 and Pakistan 135. Those numbers are the ``minimum,'' the charity said. The U.S. executed 42 people. In total, that accounts for 88 percent of known executions worldwide, the Amnesty report said.

At least 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries, the charity said. ``These were only minimum figures; the true figures were certainly higher,'' Amnesty said in the report. Many more may have been ``killed by the state, in secret.'' At least a further 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 countries.

Amnesty called upon China, ``the world's top executioner,'' and where the death penalty is classified as a state secret, to publish the numbers of those it killed. ``Amnesty International can confirm at least 470 executions by China -- the highest overall figure,'' the charity said. The true figure ``is undoubtedly much higher.''

Singapore, Malaysia and Mongolia, countries which the charity estimates executed 2, 12, and 45 people respectively last year, also refuse to publish the number of executions, Amnesty said.

Executions in Iran

Three countries carried out executions for crimes committed by people below 18 years of age last year, Amnesty said. Mohammad Mousawi, who was 16 at the time of the offense, Sa'id Quanbar Zahi, 17 years old at the time of the execution, and Makwan Moloudzadeh, 13 at the time of the offense, were executed in Iran.

Dhahian Rakan al-Sibai'I, who was 15 or 16 years old when he committed a crime, was executed in Saudi Arabia, and Adil Muhammad Saif al-Ma'amari was executed in Yemen in February 2007. Al-Ma'amari was 16 years old at the time of the offence, the charity said.

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights called upon all states that use the death penalty ``to make available to the public information with regard to the imposition of the death penalty and to any scheduled execution'' in a 2005 resolution.

To contact the reporter on this story: Robin Stringer in London at rstringer@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 14, 2008 19:03 EDT