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Incarceration Rates by Country 2024

Incarceration is the state of being confined in prison, typically as punishment for a crime. Every country in the world has a prison system of some sort, though the exact nature of that system—as well as the number of prisoners incarcerated within it—varies tremendously from country to country. The United States leads the world in total number of people incarcerated, with more than 2 million prisoners nationwide (per data released in October 2021 by World Prison Brief). This number is equivalent to roughly 25% of the world's total prison population and leads to an incarceration rate of 629 people per 100,000—the highest rate in the world. The prison populations in each U.S. state vary from one to the next, with the highest rates in Louisiana and Oklahoma. Overall, the incarceration rate in the U.S. has skyrocketed in the past decade—the prison population was a mere 200,000 in 1972, less than a tenth of today's total. However, the current rate is the lowest it has been in 20 years.

Top 10 Countries with the most people in prison

Country
Total Incarcerated
United States1,767,200
China1,690,000
Brazil839,672
India573,220
Russia433,006
Turkey341,497
Indonesia266,512
Thailand262,319
Mexico231,906
Iran189,000

Top 10 Countries with the highest rate of incarceration

Country
Incarceration Rate
El Salvador1,086
Cuba794
Rwanda637
Turkmenistan576
American Samoa538
United States531
Panama499
Guam475
Palau428
Uruguay424

Challenges raised by high incarceration rates

Mass incarceration in the United States is a civil rights issue. Organizations such as the Prison Policy Initiative argue that incarceration dehumanizes poor people and minorities, damages already marginalized communities, and often jails people for small-scale offenses such as marijuana possession in countries where weed is illegal. Additionally, evidence exists that a high incarceration rate does not actually increase public safety—a stance often validated by data on crime rate per country, murder rates, rape statistics, and gun violence per country. Nor, for that matter, does capital punishment, commonly known as the death penalty.

Mass incarceration can also lead to several logistical issues including prison overcrowding, which increases health risks and decreases the psychological well-being of those inside. Around the world, many countries have jail occupancy rates that exceed 100% of their prison system's capacity. Kenya's jail occupancy level is currently 284%. Additionally, the massive number of prisons and prisoners places a significant strain on state budgets. Prison costs include adequate security, food, recreational and education opportunities, infrastructure maintenance, utility costs for the facilities, healthcare for the prisoners, and (in better prisons) programs to train and rehabilitate inmates so they are less likely to return to prison in the future. State prison spending varies greatly and can be as high as $69,355 per inmate per year (the average cost of an inmate in New York).

Notes:
- Data shown are the most recent available for each country, but are not necessarily from the same date.

Download Table Data

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Country
Incarceration Rate (per 100k population)
Total Incarcerated
% Female
% Male
El Salvador1,08671,0007.4%92.6%
Cuba79490,000 100%
Rwanda63789,0345.4%94.6%
Turkmenistan57635,0006.5%93.5%
American Samoa5383019.6%90.4%
United States5311,767,2008.8%91.2%
Panama49922,2395.1%94.9%
Guam4758203.9%96.1%
Palau428773.9%96.1%
Uruguay42414,9657.4%92.6%
Seychelles4134176.5%93.5%
Bahamas4091,6173.1%96.9%
Antigua and Barbuda4002335.5%94.5%
Brazil390839,6725.4%94.6%
Thailand377262,31911.6%88.4%
British Virgin Islands3681144.5%95.5%
Cape Verde3662,1002.9%97.1%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines3533922.8%97.2%
Dominica3482611.1%98.9%
Belarus34532,55610.8%89.2%
United States Virgin Islands3453595.2%94.8%
Turkey340341,4974.1%95.9%
Grenada3353791.3%98.7%
Nicaragua33220,9185.4%94.6%
Namibia3188,9002.9%97.1%
Maldives3141,7004.3%95.7%
French Guiana3051,0018.4%91.6%
Costa Rica30115,7003.2%96.8%
Russia300433,0068.9%91.1%
Saint Kitts and Nevis2961603.6%96.4%
Belize2891,1993%97%
Chile28153,2007.8%92.2%
Saint Lucia2785142.7%97.3%
Trinidad and Tobago2763,8022.9%97.1%
Northern Mariana Islands2731535.8%94.2%
Gibraltar273927.1%92.9%
Peru27293,9855.2%94.8%
Guyana2712,1562.8%97.2%
Morocco270100,0042.4%97.6%
Libya26919,1031.1%98.9%
Cayman Islands2661897.2%92.8%
Martinique2611,0033.1%96.9%
Curacao2614292.6%97.4%
South Africa258157,0563%97%
Barbados2587433.4%96.6%
Georgia2569,6883.5%96.5%
Fiji2562,3792.5%97.5%
Argentina254117,8104.1%95.9%
Azerbaijan24424,6982.8%97.2%
Eswatini2433,4052.9%97.1%
Greenland24113613.8%86.2%
Anguilla24036 100%
Taiwan23956,2028.9%91.1%
Aruba2382548.4%91.6%
Moldova2366,0845.4%94.6%
Bahrain2343,4854.7%95.3%
Paraguay23317,0065.2%94.8%
Iran228189,0003.1%96.9%
Gabon2285,2262.2%97.8%
Cook Islands224478.3%91.7%
Dominican Republic22325,4612.5%97.5%
Puerto Rico2217,1763.7%96.3%
Cambodia21938,0506.6%93.4%
Algeria21794,7491.5%98.5%
Malaysia21772,4375.9%94.1%
Israel21719,7561%99%
Saudi Arabia20768,0561.9%98.1%
Bolivia20725,0006.1%93.9%
Hungary20319,4997.5%92.5%
New Caledonia2015901.3%98.7%
Bermuda2001242.9%97.1%
Venezuela19967,2007.8%92.2%
Colombia198101,6226.5%93.5%
Poland19774,9675%95%
Mauritius1972,5226.4%93.6%
Macau1971,33915.4%84.6%
Guadeloupe1978812.2%97.8%
Tunisia19623,4843.3%96.7%
Sint Maarten196878%92%
Honduras19119,6195.5%94.5%
Albania1895,1691.2%98.8%
Brunei18684111.9%88.1%
Mayotte1865491.3%98.7%
Jordan18519,1402.2%97.8%
Suriname1851,0002.8%97.2%
Kazakhstan18435,2287%93%
Myanmar183100,32412.3%87.7%
Mongolia1835,8324.5%95.5%
Iraq17973,7152.6%97.4%
Czech Republic17919,5698.8%91.2%
Slovakia1799,8547.7%92.3%
Samoa1793585.3%94.7%
French Polynesia1785092.6%97.4%
Lithuania1774,9554.1%95.9%
Mexico174231,9065.7%94.3%
New Zealand1738,8936.2%93.8%
Latvia1723,2298.4%91.6%
Ecuador16730,8045.5%94.5%
Laos16611,88513.7%86.3%
Montenegro1661,0263.2%96.8%
Tonga1661764.5%95.5%
Philippines162180,8269.8%90.2%
Serbia16210,7874.1%95.9%
Botswana1613,9715%95%
Australia15841,1557.3%92.7%
Singapore1569,53610.2%89.8%
Uganda15075,7644.7%95.3%
Sri Lanka14932,4024.3%95.7%
Bhutan1451,1194.3%95.7%
Lebanon1439,5002.9%97.1%
Tajikistan14114,0002.4%97.6%
Nauru140147.1%92.9%
Zimbabwe13821,6192.1%97.9%
North Macedonia1382,5253.1%96.9%
Reunion1371,2492.3%97.7%
Vietnam135133,98612.1%87.9%
Jersey1351466.8%93.2%
Estonia1321,8484.8%95.2%
Micronesia127132 100%
Zambia12524,0002.7%97.3%
Jamaica1253,5594%96%
Guernsey125836%94%
Romania12423,6084.5%95.5%
Ukraine12348,0383.9%96.1%
Guatemala12323,36112.1%87.9%
China1191,690,0008.6%91.4%
Portugal11712,2577.4%92.6%
Kyrgyzstan1177,6332.9%97.1%
Egypt116120,0003.7%96.3%
Cameroon11632,0032.6%97.4%
Sao Tome and Principe1152604%96%
Spain11354,1977.1%92.9%
Malta1135898.6%91.4%
Kiribati1131290.8%99.2%
Benin11114,1903.3%96.7%
Tuvalu11011 100%
France10974,3424.4%95.6%
Kenya10758,8875.1%94.9%
Luxembourg1077055.4%94.6%
Hong Kong1067,75119.7%80.3%
Croatia1064,0735.9%94.1%
United Arab Emirates1049,82611.7%88.3%
Lesotho1042,2162.9%97.1%
Italy10359,7154.2%95.8%
South Korea10352,9408.1%91.9%
Kuwait1034,5005.8%94.2%
Cyprus1039479.5%90.5%
Isle of Man103904.4%95.6%
Burundi10213,5187.6%92.4%
Greece10110,5264.9%95.1%
Bulgaria1016,5013.7%96.3%
Ethiopia99110,0004.2%95.8%
Madagascar9828,8305.5%94.5%
Haiti9811,2533.6%96.4%
Belgium9711,3264.5%95.5%
Austria968,7926.8%93.2%
Ivory Coast9525,1212.5%97.5%
Indonesia94266,5124.7%95.3%
Nepal9027,5505.4%94.6%
Canada8833,8337%93%
Ireland884,7424.9%95.1%
Uzbekistan8529,000 100%
Slovenia841,6485.4%94.6%
Sweden828,6355.9%94.1%
Angola7924,9662.5%97.5%
Armenia792,3572.9%97.1%
Solomon Islands795001.7%98.3%
Malawi7616,3661.1%98.9%
Switzerland736,4455.9%94.1%
Andorra736011.8%88.2%
Djibouti716625%95%
Senegal6913,1852.6%97.4%
Denmark694,1064.8%95.2%
Monaco692714.3%85.7%
Germany6756,3255.6%94.4%
Mozambique6723,0983%97%
Marshall Islands6635 100%
Netherlands6511,4474.6%95.4%
Vanuatu651956.7%93.3%
Equatorial Guinea635005%95%
Syria6010,5997.4%92.6%
Chad598,7002.4%97.6%
Togo594,9902.6%97.4%
South Sudan588,40010.9%89.1%
Qatar581,6444.6%95.4%
Sierra Leone574,8011.5%98.5%
Mauritania572,8262%98%
Liberia553,0002.8%97.2%
Timor Leste557634.1%95.9%
Papua New Guinea545,0005%95%
Sudan5221,0001.7%98.3%
Norway523,0005.1%94.9%
Finland512,8397.1%92.9%
Bangladesh5084,8513.9%96.1%
Tanzania5032,6713.4%96.6%
DR Congo4622,8202.3%97.7%
Oman461,9604.5%95.5%
Comoros464221.6%98.4%
Afghanistan4514,0004.2%95.8%
Ghana4514,9181.2%98.8%
India41573,2204.1%95.9%
Niger4010,1793.1%96.9%
Mali408,6703%97%
Central African Republic401,9902.3%97.7%
Burkina Faso398,8001.8%98.2%
Pakistan3887,7121.6%98.4%
Japan3645,7148.6%91.4%
Iceland361408.3%91.7%
Yemen359,7191.3%98.7%
Nigeria3477,3502.2%97.8%
Guinea344,3753%97%
Guinea Bissau315962.6%97.4%
Republic of the Congo271,3883.7%96.3%
Faroe Islands2312 100%
Gambia225432.6%97.4%
Liechtenstein156 100%
San Marino9311.1%88.9%
United Kingdom96,977 100%
Bosnia and Herzegovina2,337 100%
showing: 219 rows

What country has the highest rate of incarceration?

With over 2 million people incarcerated and a 629 incarceration rate, the United States currently has the highest number of people in prison.

Where does the US rank in incarceration rate?

When looking at both incarceration rates as well as the number of people incarcerated, the United States is ranked the highest in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources