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Current Worldwide Female Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are detained in correctional facilities globally, as reported by recent analyses. This statistic covers both awaiting trial prisoners and those who have been found guilty and punished. Experts believe the real number is significantly higher due to incomplete data from multiple states.

Female inmates generally account for a small minority of national prison populations – commonly between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls represent approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. However, their figures are rising at a quicker pace than male prisoners.

Over the past two decades, the incarcerated females in prison has grown by nearly 60% – roughly triple the rise observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The global female prison population increased by more than 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Rise

Women's lawbreaking are frequently associated with economic hardship and often constitute a way to support themselves to provide for their families.

Detailed analysis has determined that laws often criminalize essential livelihood measures and that women are unfairly targeted because they are disproportionately represented among the most impoverished segments of society. In numerous countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution primarily impact women. The probability of getting a prison sentence is typically associated with poverty and the inability to pay fines for small infractions or to secure bail.

Nations with the Highest Women Inmate Numbers

The United States has the largest number of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an unknown number of women and girls in pre-trial detention and "administrative detention". 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 England and Wales, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the total prison population. Projections indicate these numbers are expected to rise to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are currently imprisoned, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, constituting approximately 8% of its complete incarceration numbers.

States with Major Growth in Women Inmate Numbers

Despite considering normal population growth over the last quarter-century, the surge in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a substantial rise. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced over six times growth, while Turkey and Indonesia have seen more than fivefold rises.

Women on Death Row

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

The states that carry out executions on the most women are likewise the states that perform the highest number of executions in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on latest reports, an unknown number of women were executed in China, while two were executed in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

Incomplete statistics is available for states with most frequent capital punishment or for nations like North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is obtainable concerning 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females on death row.

The principal violations for which women are sentenced to death are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with compulsory capital punishment for murder, or that refuse to consider gender-based violence as lessening conditions, are prone to exhibit higher numbers of women on death row and additional capital punishments.

Moreover, countries that strictly prohibit drug trafficking, such as those in the Gulf region and Asian southeast, have a significant percentage of women on death row.

Suitability of Imprisonment for Women

Numerous specialists and campaigners argue that prison is inappropriate penalty for a significant portion of women who break the law. Many are jailed for peaceful violations; in the UK, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women often encounter a "cyclical pattern of brief incarceration periods – too brief to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

As many as 80% of women in prison worldwide have an recognizable psychiatric disorder. In Europe, self-harm statistics for women in prison are nine times higher than for the general population, as reported by the World Health Organization.

In reaction to rising numbers of jailed women and a lack of standards addressing their requirements, the International Women Prisoner Standards (known as the Bangkok Rules) were accepted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules require nations to develop non-custodial sanctions and to provide women-specific consideration in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An approximated 19,000 children dwell in incarceration centers with a parent, most often their mother, while many times that number are separated from them. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a incarcerated mother.

Apart from the clear division and connected hardship that a prison sentence can cause, it is quite common for a woman to forfeit parental rights of her children after just a short time in prison.

Many countries allow for babies and young children to stay in prison with their mothers up to a certain age. However, a early life in correctional facilities can damage a child both physically and emotionally.