Sanctions by the Numbers
About this series
The Sanctions by the Numbers newsletter and series offers comprehensive analysis and visualization of major patterns, changes, and developments in U.S. sanctions policy and economic statecraft. Each edition highlights key thematic issues in sanctions policy, such as human rights and corruption, as well as geographical regions like Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea.
The Sanctions by the Numbers series provides data-driven insights about key trends in U.S. sanctions policy, serving as a resource for economic and trade coverage by The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Axios, and other leading media outlets. Originally launched as a set of online commentaries in February 2020, the series presents key findings from an ongoing data-tracking project conducted by the CNAS Energy, Economics, and Security Program. Members of the program collect and analyze sanctions data from publicly available government sources, such as the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Explore the series
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: 2023 Year in Review
In 2023, the Biden administration continued to prioritize sanctions as a key tool to support U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives....
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by The Numbers: The Russian Energy Sector
Since 2014, the United States, the European Union (EU), and other like-minded nations have targeted the Russian energy sector with increasingly significant coercive economic m...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: Comparing the Trump and Biden Administrations’ Sanctions and Export Controls on China
Executive Summary The Biden administration has exceeded the Trump administration in the number of financial sanctions and entity-based export controls placed on Chinese person...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: SDN, CMIC, and Entity List Designations on China
The United States has progressively expanded the scope of sanctions and entity-based export controls on Chinese persons (i.e., individuals and entities), primarily through the...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: Economic Measures against Russia Following Its 2022 Invasion of Ukraine
Following the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, the United States and its allies have unleashed an impressive array of economic measures against Moscow,...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: 2021 Year in Review
The first year of President Joe Biden’s administration witnessed major developments in U.S. sanctions strategy, including a general review of all sanctions programs under the ...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: Transnational Crime and Drug Trafficking
Transnational organized crime poses a significant and growing threat to national security, with direct impacts on public safety and health, democratic institutions, and econom...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: Spotlight on Afghanistan
The United States has imposed sanctions on the Taliban since 1999, with the severity and breadth of sanctions designations rising markedly since 2001 as part of the response t...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: U.S. Secondary Sanctions
Over the past decade, secondary sanctions have emerged as a critical—and sometimes controversial—tool to increase the effectiveness and reach of U.S. primary sanctions program...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: Spotlight on Venezuela
As Venezuela battles a protracted financial and humanitarian crisis, U.S. sanctions on the country have emerged as controversial. This has sparked debate on whether the increa...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: Spotlight on Cyber Sanctions
Cyberattacks pose a serious threat to U.S. national security and the integrity of the global commerce and financial system, especially when state-sponsored actors conduct and/...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: Spotlight on Human Rights and Corruption
Over the past five years, the U.S. government has imposed an unprecedented number of human rights and corruption-related sanctions....
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: Spotlight on North Korea
The U.S. government has used a variety of coercive economic measures to combat the North Korean security threat....
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: Spotlight on Russia
Russia is the second-most sanctioned state by the United States in the past decade, with 742 designations....
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: 2020 Year in Review
Sanctions designations remained high in 2020, with 777 designations compared to 785 in 2019....
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: Spotlight on China
The United States has significantly increased its sanctions designations on Chinese individuals, entities, and ships in 2020. While the United States has imposed sanctions on ...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: Spotlight on Iran
This edition of Sanctions by the Numbers explores Iran sanctions, tracking how designations and delistings have evolved over time, the dozens of countries affected by Iran-rel...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: The Geographic Distribution of U.S. Sanctions
In February, CNAS launched Sanctions by the Numbers, a project to track U.S. sanctions designations and delistings. In this second installment, heat maps show the most heavily...
Energy, Economics & Security
Sanctions by the Numbers: U.S. Sanctions Designations and Delistings, 2009–2019
The United States uses financial sanctions as a prominent tool of foreign policy. While this tool is used with increasing frequency and popularity, there is relatively limited...
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