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Current Worldwide Female Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are confined in correctional facilities globally, according to recent research studies. This number covers both awaiting trial prisoners and individuals already found guilty and punished. Analysts suggest the real number is significantly higher due to missing information from numerous countries.

Female inmates generally account for a small minority of national prison populations – usually between 2-9% on average. As of now, women and girls represent approximately 6.8% of the world's incarcerated individuals. Nonetheless, their numbers are increasing at a more rapid tempo than male prisoners.

Over the past two decades, the number of women and girls in prison has increased by almost three-fifths – roughly triple the rise observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The worldwide women inmate count rose by over 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Main Causes Behind the Increase

Female criminal activities are often connected to financial deprivation and usually serve as a method of sustenance to provide for their families.

Detailed analysis has established that legislation frequently penalizes acts of survival and that women are unequally impacted because they are more commonly found among the lowest economic brackets of society. In various countries, laws criminalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution disproportionately target women. The likelihood of receiving a prison sentence is typically associated with poverty and the failure to afford fines for small infractions or to obtain release.

Countries with the Largest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The United States has the highest count of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an uncertain quantity of women and girls in pre-trial detention and "administrative detention". Other significant 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 total prison population. Forecasts show 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, representing approximately 8% of its complete incarceration numbers.

Countries with Significant Increases in Incarcerated Women Statistics

Even accounting for normal population growth over the last quarter-century, the rise in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people remains indicative of a significant growth. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced over six times growth, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen increases over five times.

Women on Death Row

Recent estimates 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 perform the highest number of executions in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by current records, an unknown number of women were put to death 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 nations with highest execution rates or for nations like North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is accessible regarding 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females on death row.

The two primary crimes for which women are receiving execution orders are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that refuse to consider gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are inclined to display increased quantities of women on death row and more executions.

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

Suitability of Prison for Women

Numerous specialists and activists argue that prison is inappropriate penalty for a large number of women who violate regulations. The majority are imprisoned for peaceful violations; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 belonged to this group. Women commonly face a "revolving door" of limited imprisonment terms – inadequate duration to engage in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

As many as 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, according to the World Health Organization.

In answer to increasing figures of jailed women and a absence of guidelines considering their circumstances, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were adopted 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.

Kids with Imprisoned Mothers

An approximated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, typically their mother, while significantly more children are apart from their mothers. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a incarcerated mother.

In addition to the clear division and connected hardship that a prison sentence can cause, it is frequent for a woman to forfeit parental rights of her children after just a limited duration in prison.

Many countries permit babies and young children to live in incarceration centers with their mothers up to a specific age. Nonetheless, a early life in correctional facilities can damage a child both in health and mental state.