Four decades of sanctions designations, by designating authority

Network: Wedgetail Astrostrategy Cyberstrategy Geofinance Geopolitics Geostrategy Global Energy

Chart Aug 18, 2026 by A. Harrier

Originally published on Geofinance

Monthly designations by the US, UK and EU sanctions authorities — a fully public dataset that is almost never charted.

View as table

Period	United States (OFAC) (designations)
2011-10-01	12.0
2011-11-01	10.0
2011-12-01	15.0
2012-01-01	7
2012-02-01	17.0
2012-03-01	11.0
2012-04-01	20.0
2012-05-01	9
2012-06-01	29.0
2012-07-01	151.0
2012-08-01	11.0
2012-09-01	59.0
2012-10-01	9
2012-11-01	40.0
2012-12-01	31.0
2013-01-01	32.0
2013-02-01	26.0
2013-03-01	9
2013-04-01	27.0
2013-05-01	65.0
2013-06-01	53.0
2013-07-01	39.0
2013-08-01	19.0
2013-09-01	33.0
2013-10-01	4
2013-11-01	5
2013-12-01	19.0
2014-01-01	9
2014-02-01	30.0
2014-03-01	34.0
2014-04-01	41.0
2014-05-01	35.0
2014-06-01	11.0
2014-07-01	91.0
2014-08-01	35.0
2014-09-01	48.0
2014-10-01	15.0
2014-11-01	11.0
2014-12-01	32.0
2015-01-01	18.0
2015-02-01	22.0
2015-03-01	38.0
2015-04-01	19.0
2015-05-01	24.0
2015-06-01	13.0
2015-07-01	71.0
2015-08-01	27.0
2015-09-01	41.0
2015-10-01	7
2015-11-01	18.0
2015-12-01	136.0
2016-01-01	15.0
2016-02-01	9
2016-03-01	72.0
2016-04-01	18.0
2016-05-01	59.0
2016-06-01	4
2016-07-01	30.0
2016-08-01	9
2016-09-01	86.0
2016-10-01	28.0
2016-11-01	14.0
2016-12-01	88.0
2017-01-01	42.0
2017-02-01	42.0
2017-03-01	21.0
2017-04-01	17.0
2017-05-01	47.0
2017-06-01	63.0
2017-07-01	37.0
2017-08-01	71.0
2017-09-01	59.0
2017-10-01	23.0
2017-11-01	52.0
2017-12-01	67.0
2018-01-01	132.0
2018-02-01	126.0
2018-03-01	49.0
2018-04-01	52.0
2018-05-01	111.0
2018-06-01	49.0
2018-07-01	21.0
2018-08-01	33.0
2018-09-01	23.0
2018-10-01	55.0
2018-11-01	506.0
2018-12-01	30.0
2019-01-01	34.0
2019-02-01	26.0
2019-03-01	85.0
2019-04-01	64.0
2019-05-01	46.0
2019-06-01	61.0
2019-07-01	57.0
2019-08-01	47.0
2019-09-01	117.0
2019-10-01	12.0
2019-11-01	29.0
2019-12-01	147.0
2020-01-01	71.0
2020-02-01	63.0
2020-03-01	51.0
2020-04-01	4
2020-05-01	19.0
2020-06-01	41.0
2020-07-01	31.0
2020-08-01	21.0
2020-09-01	124.0
2020-10-01	64.0
2020-11-01	86.0
2020-12-01	90.0
2021-01-01	75.0
2021-02-01	14.0
2021-03-01	30.0
2021-04-01	60.0
2021-05-01	41.0
2021-06-01	104.0
2021-07-01	37.0
2021-08-01	95.0
2021-09-01	55.0
2021-10-01	13.0
2021-11-01	38.0
2021-12-01	159.0
2022-01-01	42.0
2022-02-01	157.0
2022-03-01	605.0
2022-04-01	193.0
2022-05-01	172.0
2022-06-01	231.0
2022-07-01	24.0
2022-08-01	59.0
2022-09-01	402.0
2022-10-01	83.0
2022-11-01	130.0
2022-12-01	343.0
2023-01-01	95.0
2023-02-01	317.0
2023-03-01	131.0
2023-04-01	247.0
2023-05-01	385.0
2023-06-01	65.0
2023-07-01	194.0
2023-08-01	62.0
2023-09-01	242.0
2023-10-01	79.0
2023-11-01	337.0
2023-12-01	451.0
2024-01-01	79.0
2024-02-01	608.0
2024-03-01	129.0
2024-04-01	109.0
2024-05-01	327.0
2024-06-01	486.0
2024-07-01	75.0
2024-08-01	438.0
2024-09-01	171.0
2024-10-01	500.0
2024-11-01	176.0
2024-12-01	171.0
2025-01-01	601.0
2025-02-01	68.0
2025-03-01	92.0
2025-04-01	123.0
2025-05-01	74.0
2025-06-01	104.0
2025-07-01	247.0
2025-08-01	94.0
2025-09-01	129.0
2025-10-01	371.0
2025-11-01	168.0
2025-12-01	112.0
2026-01-01	94.0
2026-02-01	110.0
2026-03-01	34.0
2026-04-01	202.0
2026-05-01	193.0
2026-06-01	135.0
2026-07-01	215.0
2026-08-01	164.0
2026-09-01	68.0

Source: US Treasury OFAC · retrieved 16 Sep 2026 · Public domain (US Government)

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Sanctions coverage is usually written one designation at a time. Charted as a monthly series, the shape of the instrument becomes visible: long flat stretches punctuated by very large single-month actions, each corresponding to a specific decision rather than to a trend.

The series are stacked because they measure the same thing done by different authorities, and the interesting question is usually whether they moved together. Designations are counted by their publication date, so a single package lands in one month rather than being spread across the period it was negotiated.

A designation is not a measure of effect. This chart shows what was decided, not what it did.

The data behind this chart

OFAC SDN designations — US Treasury Specially Designated Nationals list, by designation date.

Source: US Treasury OFAC · retrieved 16 Sep 2026 · Public domain (US Government)

Dataset CSV · Dataset JSON · This chart's data

Entities: United Kingdom United States European Union

Tags: Central Banks Sanctions

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