England's group stage exit at the Champions Trophy - a third flop at a major tournament in the last 18 months, having relinquished both white-ball World Cups - left Buttler considering his position.
The 34-year-old, who succeeded Eoin Morgan in June 2022 and led England to T20 World Cup glory later that year, has come to a quick resolution about his future and he will step aside after their last group B contest in Karachi on Saturday.
"I'm going to stand down as England captain, it's the right decision for me and the team," he said.
Buttler has looked increasingly drained in the role in recent times and appeared on the verge of walking away after an eight-run defeat to Afghanistan on Wednesday ensured their early departure from Pakistan.
Speaking after the match he said he would review "all possibilities" and would need to determine if he was "part of the solution or part of the problem". He appears to have settled on the latter conclusion.
Buttler has endured 22 defeats in 34 ODIs since taking the reins on a permanent basis, a highly disappointing record for a team not long ago viewed as the leaders in limited-overs cricket.
England have also been an inconsistent force in the 20-over arena and were flattered by a semi-final appearance at the T20 World Cup last summer, before being thrashed by India.
Buttler survived a subsequent review, with limited-overs coach, Matthew Mott, paying the price instead.Â
The Australian was replaced by Brendon McCullum, who added the job to his Test match brief, with the Kiwi setting out to reinvigorate both the team and its ailing skipper.
McCullum admitted Buttler had looked "a bit miserable at times" and hoped to bring a smile back to his face. That has proved mission impossible and the rebuild will now start in earnest with a new voice at the top.
Who that will be remains to be seen, with vice-captain and favourite Harry Brook deeply embedded in all three formats and potentially unable to play every series.
After their clash with the Proteas, England do not play white-ball cricket again until May 29, when they face the touring West Indies. That leaves plenty of time for McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key to determine a successor.
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