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Current Global Women Prison Population

In excess of 733,000 women and girls are confined in correctional facilities worldwide, as reported by latest investigations. This statistic includes both remand prisoners and those who have been found guilty and punished. Experts believe the true count is much greater due to incomplete data from several states.

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

Over the past two decades, the number of women and girls in prison has grown by nearly 60% – almost three times the growth observed in the male inmate numbers. The global female prison population rose by over 100,000 individuals during the ten-year interval ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Rise

Female criminal activities are frequently linked to poverty and often constitute a means of survival to provide for their families.

Comprehensive research has determined that laws often criminalize acts of survival and that women are unequally impacted because they are more commonly found among the lowest economic brackets of society. In numerous countries, laws penalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution primarily impact women. The likelihood of receiving a prison sentence is typically associated with poverty and the inability to pay fines for minor crimes or to obtain release.

States with the Largest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The US has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China comes next with 145,000, plus an uncertain quantity of women and girls in awaiting trial custody and "procedural custody. 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 Britain, 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, amounting to approximately 8% of its complete incarceration numbers.

Countries with Substantial Rises in Women Inmate Numbers

Despite considering typical population expansion over the previous two-and-a-half decades, the surge in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people continues to demonstrate a remarkable increase. These two nations have experienced increases exceeding 600%, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen increases over five times.

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 perform the highest number of executions in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. According to latest reports, an unknown number of women were put to death in China, while two received death sentences in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

No accurate data is available for countries that execute the most or for additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nonetheless, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the most 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 reducing factors, are inclined to display increased quantities of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Moreover, countries that strictly prohibit drug trafficking, such as those in the Middle East and Asian southeast, have a substantial ratio of women on death row.

Appropriateness of Incarceration for Females

Various professionals and advocates argue that prison is unsuitable sanction for a substantial percentage of women who break the law. Most are incarcerated for peaceful violations; in Britain, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 belonged to this group. Women often encounter a "revolving door" of brief incarceration periods – too brief to engage 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 general population, as reported by the WHO.

In response to rising numbers of imprisoned females and a lack of standards considering their circumstances, the International Women Prisoner Standards (known as the Bangkok Rules) were approved 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.

Children of Female Prisoners

An estimated 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.

Besides the clear division and connected hardship that a prison sentence can cause, it is quite common for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a limited duration in prison.

Various states make provision for babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a specific age. However, a childhood spent in prison can harm a young person both physically and emotionally.