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Current Global Female Prison Inmates

More than 733,000 women and girls are detained in prison systems worldwide, as reported by current research studies. This statistic includes both remand prisoners and individuals already convicted and sentenced. Experts believe the true count is substantially larger due to incomplete data from several nations.

Women consistently represent a small minority of correctional system demographics – commonly between 2-9% on average. As of now, women and girls account for approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. Nevertheless, their numbers are increasing at a quicker pace than incarcerated men.

Over the past two decades, the incarcerated females in prison has grown by nearly 60% – roughly triple the increase observed in the male prison population. The international incarcerated women statistics grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Growth

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

Comprehensive research has established that legislation frequently penalizes essential livelihood measures and that women are disproportionately affected because they are disproportionately represented among the lowest economic brackets of society. In various countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution almost exclusively affect women. The chance of being given a prison sentence is frequently connected with poverty and the failure to afford fines for small infractions or to arrange temporary freedom.

States with the Highest Women Inmate Numbers

The United States has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an undetermined count of women and girls in awaiting trial custody and "bureaucratic confinement. 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 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.

Nations with Major Growth in Female Prison Populations

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 significant growth. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced over six times growth, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen growth exceeding 500%.

Female Capital Punishment Cases

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

The nations that put to death the most women are also the countries that execute the most people in general, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. According to current records, an unknown number of women were given capital punishment in China, while two received death sentences in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

Unreliable information is available for countries that execute the most or for additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is accessible regarding 15 other countries with the most women on death row.

The main offenses 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 more likely to have higher numbers of women on death row and more executions.

Moreover, countries that severely criminalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Arabian Peninsula and Oriental southeast, have a high proportion of women on death row.

Appropriateness of Imprisonment for Women

Various professionals and campaigners maintain that prison is not a suitable punishment for a large number of women who commit crimes. Many are jailed for peaceful violations; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women often encounter a "repetitive cycle of brief incarceration periods – too brief to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 80% of women in prison worldwide have an identifiable mental illness. In Europe, self-harm statistics for women in prison are nine times higher than for the overall public, according to the World Health Organization.

In response to increasing figures of incarcerated women and a absence of guidelines reflecting their needs, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules oblige states to establish non-imprisonment penalties and to provide women-specific consideration in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An calculated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, most often their mother, while many times that number are separated from them. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a mother in prison.

In addition to the evident parting and associated suffering that a prison sentence can cause, it is not uncommon for a woman to lose custody of her children after just a brief period in prison.

Various states make provision for babies and young children to stay in prison with their mothers up to a particular maturity level. However, a childhood spent in prison can damage a child both bodily and psychologically.