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World Prison Population List (8th edition)

Some 10 million prisoners in the world, new report shows

More than 9.8 million people are held in penal institutions throughout the world, according to the latest edition of the World Prison Population List published today (Monday 26 January) by the International Centre for Prison Studies at King’s College London. This is an increase of 300,000 since the previous edition two years ago. If prisoners in ‘administrative detention’ in China are included the total is over 10.6 million.

The World List, compiled by Roy Walmsley, provides up-to-date information on the global prison population and the rate per 100,000 of the national population (the prison population rate) in 218 countries and territories. (Figures are unavailable for only six countries – Bhutan, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea Bissau, North Korea and Somalia.)

Director of the International Centre for Prison Studies, Rob Allen comments: ‘Given the high financial, social and ethical costs of imprisonment, the data should prompt policy makers in every country to consider what they can do to limit the size of their prison population. Excessive use of imprisonment does nothing to improve public safety.’

Other key findings

• Almost half of the world’s prisoners are in the United States (2.29 million), China (1.57 million sentenced prisoners), or Russia (0.89 million) – countries which account for just over a quarter of the world’s population.
• The United States’ prison total constitutes a rate of 756 per 100,000 of the national population, making it pro rata by far the biggest user of prison in the world. Almost three fifths of countries (59 per cent) have rates below 150 per 100,000. The overall world prison population rate (based on 9.8 million prisoners and a world population of 6,750 million) is 145 per 100,000.
• With a prison population rate of 153 per 100,000, (a rise of 5 since the last edition of the list), England and Wales lock up more prisoners per head of population than other countries in western Europe apart from Spain (160) and Luxembourg (155) and some 60 per cent more than countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland and Italy.
• Particularly large rises have recently occurred in Europe, in Turkey and Georgia (both up more than 50 per cent since mid 2006). The largest recent falls in prison population in Europe are in Romania (down 2 per cent since September 2006) and the Netherlands (down 22 per cent since mid 2006).
• Notable rises elsewhere include those since mid 2006 in Chile (up 28 per cent), Brazil (up 18 per cent) and Indonesia (up 17 per cent).
• The report also found that the rise in prison populations is evident in every continent. Updated information on countries included in previous editions of the World Prison Population List shows that prison populations have risen in 71 per cent of these countries (in 64 per cent of countries in Africa, 83 per cent in the Americas, 76 per cent in Asia, 68 per cent in Europe and 60 per cent in Oceania).
• The list shows that rates vary considerably between different regions of the world, and between different parts of the same continent. For example:
  • Africa: the median rate for western African countries is 35 per 100,000 whereas for southern African countries it is 231.
  • The Americas: the median rate for south American countries is 154 whereas for Caribbean countries it is 324.5.
  • Asia: the median rate for south central Asian countries (mainly the Indian sub-continent) is 53 whereas for (ex-Soviet) central Asian countries it is 184.
  • Europe: the median rate for southern and western European countries is 95 whereas for the countries spanning Europe and Asia (e.g. Russia and Turkey) it is 229.
  • Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand): the median rate is 102.5.

This edition of the World Prison Population List was researched and compiled by Roy Walmsley, who introduced the List at the beginning of 1999. He is a consultant to the United Nations and Director of the World Prison Brief – the online database of information on the prison systems of the world – which is part of the International Centre for Prison Studies website: www.prisonstudies.org

The World Prison Population List (eighth edition) is available for download