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Current Worldwide Women Prison Population

More than 733,000 women and girls are detained in correctional facilities worldwide, based on recent analyses. This number covers both pre-trial detainees and individuals already convicted and sentenced. Analysts suggest the true count is much greater due to incomplete data from several countries.

Females typically constitute a small minority of national prison populations – commonly between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls represent approximately 6.8% of the world's incarcerated individuals. Nevertheless, their numbers are increasing at a quicker pace than male prisoners.

Since the year 2000, the number of women and girls in prison has grown by nearly 60% – roughly triple the growth observed in the male prison population. The worldwide women inmate count rose by over 100,000 individuals during the ten-year interval ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Rise

Women's lawbreaking are commonly connected to financial deprivation and often constitute a way to support themselves to care for their dependents.

Detailed analysis has determined that regulations typically outlaw basic sustenance activities and that women are disproportionately affected because they are more commonly found among the lowest economic brackets of society. In various countries, laws criminalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution primarily impact women. The probability of getting a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the lack of resources for fines for minor crimes or to arrange temporary freedom.

Countries with the Greatest Women Inmate Numbers

The US has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an uncertain quantity of women and girls in remand imprisonment and "bureaucratic confinement. Further substantial contributors include Brazil (50,441), Russia (39,153), Thailand (33,057), India (23,772), the Philippines (17,121), Turkey (16,581), Vietnam (15,152), Mexico (13,841) and Indonesia (13,044).

In the UK, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the complete incarceration statistics. Projections indicate these numbers are expected to rise to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are currently detained, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, constituting approximately 8% of its complete incarceration numbers.

Countries with Major Growth in Female Prison Populations

Despite considering typical population expansion over the last quarter-century, the surge in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a substantial rise. These two nations have experienced more than sixfold increases, while Turkey and Indonesia have seen growth exceeding 500%.

Female Capital Punishment Cases

Recent estimates indicate there are between 500 and 1,000 women on death row in at least 42 countries worldwide.

The countries that execute the most women are similarly the nations that carry out the most capital punishments in general, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on latest reports, an undetermined count of women were given capital punishment in China, while two were executed in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

Unreliable information is available for nations with highest execution rates or for additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. However, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the largest quantities of women on death row.

The two primary crimes for which women are given capital punishment are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that fail to acknowledge gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are more likely to have increased quantities of women on death row and more executions.

Moreover, countries that harshly penalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Arabian Peninsula and southeast Asia, have a significant percentage of women on death row.

Suitability of Prison for Women

Various professionals and campaigners contend that prison is not a suitable punishment for a substantial percentage of women who commit crimes. Many are jailed for non-violent crimes; in Britain, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 belonged to this group. Women often encounter a "repetitive cycle of brief incarceration periods – too brief to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 80% of women in prison worldwide have an diagnosable psychological condition. In Europe, self-destruction numbers for women in prison are nine times higher than for the general population, based on the global health authority.

In reaction to growing statistics of incarcerated women and a absence of guidelines addressing their requirements, the International Women Prisoner Standards (known as the Bangkok Rules) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules mandate countries to create alternative punishments and to ensure gender-sensitive treatment in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An calculated 19,000 children reside in correctional facilities with a parent, typically their mother, while significantly more children are separated from them. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a incarcerated mother.

Besides the clear division and related distress that a prison sentence can cause, it is quite common for a woman to lose custody of her children after just a brief period in prison.

Many countries make provision for babies and young children to stay in prison with their mothers up to a certain age. Nonetheless, a childhood spent in prison can harm a young person both physically and emotionally.