Timeline of abolition of slavery and serfdom
The abolition of slavery occurred at different times in different countries. It frequently occurred sequentially in more than one stage – for example, as abolition of the trade in slaves in a specific country, and then as abolition of slavery throughout empires. Each step was usually the result of a separate law or action. This timeline shows abolition laws or actions listed chronologically. It also covers the abolition of serfdom.
Although slavery of non-prisoners is technically illegal in all countries today, the practice continues in many locations around the world, primarily in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe, often with government support.
Ancient times
During classical antiquity, several prominent societies in Europe and the ancient Near East regulated enslavement for debt and the related but distinct practice of debt bondage.Reforms listed below such as the laws of Solon in Athens, the Lex Poetelia Papiria in Republican Rome, or rules set forth in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Deuteronomy generally regulated the supply of slaves and debt-servants by forbidding or regulating the bondage of certain privileged groups, but none abolished slavery, and even what protections were instituted did not apply to foreigners or noncitizen subjects.
| Date | Jurisdiction | Description |
| Early sixth century BC | Polis of Athens | The Athenian lawgiver Solon abolishes debt slavery of Athenian citizens and frees all Athenian citizens who had formerly been enslaved. Athenian chattel slavery continued to be practiced, and the loss of debt-bondage as a competing source of compulsory labor may even have spurred slavery to become more important in the Athenian economy henceforth. |
| 3rd century BC | Maurya Empire | Indian emperor Ashoka abolishes the slave trade within the Empire. |
| 326 BC | Roman Republic | Lex Poetelia Papiria abolishes Nexum contracts, a form of pledging the debt bondage of poor Roman citizens to wealthy creditors as security for loans. Chattel slavery was not abolished, and Roman slavery would continue to flourish for centuries. |
| 9–12 AD | Xin dynasty | Wang Mang, first and only emperor of the Xin dynasty, usurped the Chinese throne and instituted a series of sweeping reforms, including the abolition of slavery and radical land reform from 9–12 A.D. It would be reinstituted after his passing, as these, amongst other reforms were unpopular with elite sentiment. |
Medieval times
| Date | Jurisdiction | Description | |||||||||||||||||
| 590–604 |  Rome1800–1829
|
Flag of Malta.svg.png" />Unofficial Flag of Malta.svg
Coahuila y Tejas.svg.png" />Flag of Coahuila y Tejas.svg
United States|1848