1
0
As of 2024, more than 11 million people were held in prisons worldwide.
Data were not available for Eritrea, Somalia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), and data for China were incomplete.
There were also no data on prisoners held by authorities not recognised at the international level and those held in pre-trial detention centres, which are not included in published national prison population data.
Thus, the total number of prisoners exceeds 11 million and may well exceed 11.5 million.
The United States of America had nearly 1.8 million prisoners, China 1.69 million (plus an unknown number in pre-trial detention and other places of detention), Brazil 840,000, India 573,000, the Russian Federation 433,000, Turkey 314,000, Thailand 274,000, Indonesia 265,000, Mexico 233,000, Iran 189,000 and the Philippines 181,000.
The country with the highest rate of prisoners per 100,000 population was El Salvador (1,086 per 100,000). They were followed by Cuba (794), Rwanda (637), Turkmenistan (576), American Samoa (538), the United States (531), Tonga (516), Panama (499), Guam (475), Palau (428), Uruguay (424), the Bahamas (409), Antigua and Barbuda (400), Thailand (391) and Brazil (390).
In general, the global incarceration rate remained at the level of 140 prisoners per 100,000 population. At the same time, slightly less than half of all countries and territories (49%) had rates of 150 per 100,000 population.
The number of prisoners in different regions of the world and in different parts of the same continent varied considerably.
For example, in Africa, the average incarceration rate for West African countries was 50, while for South African countries it was 243 prisoners per 100,000 people.
In the Americas, the median figure for North American countries was 220, while for Central American countries it was 310 prisoners per 100,000 population.
In Asia, the median rate for South Asian countries (mainly the Indian subcontinent) was 90, while for Southeast Asian countries it was 166 prisoners per 100,000 population.
In Europe, the median figure for Western European countries was 73, while for countries located between Europe and Asia (e.g. the Russian Federation and Turkey) it was 267 prisoners per 100,000 population.
In Oceania, the median figure is 184 prisoners per 100,000 population.
Since around 2000, the total number of prisoners in the world has increased by 27%, slightly less than the estimated increase in the world’s total population over the same period (31%). There are significant differences between continents, as well as variations within continents. The total number of prisoners in Oceania increased by 84%, in the Americas by 39%, in Asia by 43% and in Africa by 53%; in Europe, by contrast, the total number of prisoners decreased by 26%. The European figure reflects a significant reduction in the number of prisoners in Russia (59%) and in Central and Eastern Europe (48%). At the same time, the total number of prisoners in European countries other than Russia increased by 12%. Particularly significant increases were recorded in South America (224%) and West Asia (141%).
| April 2024 | Population (million) | Prison population (million) | Incarceration rate |
| Africa | 1383 | 1,384 | 100 |
| Americas | 1045 | 3,730 | 357 |
| Asia | 4551 | 4,316 | 95 |
| Europe | 848 | 1,497 | 177 |
| Oceania | 45 | 0,063 | 141 |
| TOTAL | 7872 | 11 | 140 |
Since around 2000, the total number of prisoners worldwide has increased by 27%, slightly less than the estimated increase in the world’s population over the same period (31%). There are significant differences between and within continents.
The growth in the number of African prisoners (53%) is much lower than the continent’s population as a whole (78%). However, this discrepancy is largely influenced by the data for Rwanda. The number of prisoners in Rwanda is still inflated by those detained in connection with the 1994 genocide, despite the fact that many of them have been released since 2000. Excluding the Rwandan figures, the number of prisoners in Africa has increased by 65% since 2000.
The growth in the number of prisoners in the Americas since 2000 (39%) is largely influenced by the trend in the United States, where the number of prisoners is the largest, but is growing much more slowly than in many other countries on the continent. Excluding the US data, the number of prisoners in the Americas has increased by 161% since 2000: in Central America – by 101%, in South America – by 224%.
| 2024 | Prison population (million, 2000) | Prison population (million, April 2024) | Changes in the prison population | Population change in the region |
| Africa | 0,902 | 1,384 | +53,4% | +77,6% |
| America | 2,690 | 3,730 | +38,6% | +25,4% |
| America without the United States | 0,753 | 1,963 | +160,7% | |
| Asia | 3,023 | 4,316 | +42,8% | +27% |
| Asia without China and India | 1,324 | 2,053 | +55,1% | |
| Europe | 2,014 | 1,497 | -25,7% | +5,7% |
| Europe without Russia | 0,953 | 1,064 | +11,6% | |
| Oceania | 0,034 | 0,063 | +83,7% | +40,9% |
| TOTAL | 8,664 | 11 | +26,9% | +30,7% |
Trends in prison populations since 2000 in Asia have varied considerably across the continent, with the total prison population in South-East Asia and West Asia (Middle East) increasing by 117% and 141% respectively, while the total prison population in Central Asia has decreased by 38%. China and India, with their large populations, have a strong influence on the overall prison population in Asia, but show opposite trends: the total prison population in China increased by 18% and in India by 111%. Excluding these two countries, the number of prisoners in Asia increased by 55%.
Europe is the only continent where the total number of prisoners has decreased since 2000. The extent of this decline is largely dependent on data for the Russian Federation.
For example, the number of prisoners in Russia is by far the largest in Europe, and it has fallen by 59%. Excluding the Russian Federation, the European prison population has increased by 12% since 2000. Russia is not the only part of Europe that has seen a significant decline in its prison population: the number of prisoners in Central and Eastern Europe (excluding Russia) has fallen by 48% since 2000.
However, we can confidently say that the reduction in the number of prisoners in Russia is not the result of judicial practice or the humanisation of penal practices. The reduction of the prison population in Russia is the result of the mass mobilisation of prisoners (usually forced) for the war with Ukraine (the Wagner phenomenon).
In contrast, other regions of Europe have seen growth: by 12% in Western Europe, 12% in Northern Europe and 25% in Southern Europe.
| Prison population (million, 2000) | Prison population (million, October 2021) | Prison population (million, April 2024) | |
| Africa | 0,902 | 1,194 | 1,384 |
| America | 2,690 | 3,860 | 3,730 |
| America without the United States | 0,753 | 1,791 | 1,963 |
| Asia | 3,023 | 4,184 | 4,316 |
| Asia without China and India | 1,324 | 2,016 | 2,053 |
| Europe | 2,014 | 1,470 | 1,497 |
| Europe without Russia | 0,953 | 0,999 | 1,064 |
| Oceania | 0,034 | 0,063 | 0,063 |
| TOTAL | 8,664 | 10,771 | 11 |
The total prison population in Oceania has grown at a much higher rate than on any other continent. This is, of course, dominated by Australia, where the number of prisoners has increased by 93% since 2000, and New Zealand, where the total number of prisoners has increased by 59%.
Source – Fair, H, Walmsley, R. (2024) World Prison Population List (14th edition). Technical Report. ICPR, London, UK. URL: www.prisonstudies.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/wppl_10.pdf
Average Rating