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Current Global Female Prison Inmates

In excess of 733,000 women and girls are detained in penal institutions internationally, based on recent investigations. This statistic covers both awaiting trial prisoners and individuals already convicted and sentenced. Experts believe the real number is substantially larger due to incomplete data from numerous nations.

Women consistently represent a minor proportion of overall inmate numbers – typically between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls account for approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. Nevertheless, their numbers are increasing at a faster rate than incarcerated men.

From the millennium onward, the number of women and girls in prison has grown by nearly 60% – roughly triple the rise observed in the male inmate numbers. The worldwide women inmate count grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Main Causes Behind the Growth

Women's lawbreaking are frequently associated with economic hardship and usually serve as a means of survival to provide for their families.

Comprehensive research has established that laws often criminalize basic sustenance activities and that women are disproportionately affected because they are disproportionately represented among the poorest sectors of society. In various countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution disproportionately target women. The chance of being given a prison sentence is frequently connected with poverty and the lack of resources for fines for minor crimes or to secure bail.

Nations with the Highest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The America has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an uncertain quantity of women and girls in awaiting trial custody and "administrative detention". Additional major sources 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 Britain, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the overall inmate count. Projections indicate these numbers are predicted to increase to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are currently detained, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, amounting to approximately 8% of its total prison population.

States with Major Growth in Incarcerated Women Statistics

Even accounting for typical population expansion over the past 25 years, the surge in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people remains indicative of a substantial rise. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced increases exceeding 600%, while Turkey and Indonesia have seen more than fivefold rises.

Women on Death Row

Present approximations 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 also the countries that execute the most people in general, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on latest reports, an uncertain quantity of women were executed in China, while two faced execution in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

Incomplete statistics is available for nations with highest execution rates or for additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is accessible regarding 15 other countries with the largest quantities of women on death row.

The principal violations for which women are given capital punishment are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with mandatory death penalties for murder, or that do not recognize gender-based violence as lessening conditions, are inclined to display greater amounts of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

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

Appropriateness of Prison for Women

Numerous specialists and activists maintain that prison is not a suitable punishment for a substantial percentage of women who violate regulations. The majority are imprisoned for peaceful violations; in the UK, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women commonly face a "repetitive cycle of short prison sentences – too brief to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 80% of women in prison worldwide have an identifiable mental illness. In Europe, suicide rates for women in prison are nine times higher than for the wider community, as reported by the WHO.

In reaction to increasing figures of imprisoned females and a deficiency of regulations reflecting their needs, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were accepted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules mandate countries to develop non-custodial sanctions and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An calculated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, typically their mother, while a much larger quantity are separated from them. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a imprisoned parent.

Besides the evident parting and connected hardship that a prison sentence can cause, it is not uncommon for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a brief period in prison.

Many countries permit babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a particular maturity level. However, a youth experienced in incarceration can harm a young person both in health and mental state.