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Current Global Women Prison Inmates

Over 733,000 women and girls are confined in correctional facilities globally, according to latest investigations. This figure encompasses both pre-trial detainees and those who have been found guilty and punished. Analysts suggest the real number is substantially larger due to incomplete data from several countries.

Female inmates generally account for a limited percentage of national prison populations – typically between 2-9% on average. As of now, women and girls account for approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. Nonetheless, their figures are rising at a more rapid tempo than incarcerated men.

Over the past two decades, the incarcerated females in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – almost three times the rise observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The international incarcerated women statistics increased by more than 100,000 individuals during the ten-year interval ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Growth

Offenses committed by women are commonly linked to poverty and typically represent a means of survival to provide for their families.

Comprehensive research has determined that laws often criminalize essential livelihood measures and that women are disproportionately affected because they are disproportionately represented among the poorest sectors of society. In numerous countries, laws penalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution disproportionately target women. The likelihood of receiving 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 Largest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The US has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an undetermined count of women and girls in pre-trial detention 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 overall inmate count. Estimates suggest these numbers are predicted to increase to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are currently imprisoned, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, representing approximately 8% of its overall inmate demographic.

Countries with Major Growth in Women Inmate Numbers

Even accounting for standard demographic increases over the last quarter-century, the increase in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people continues to demonstrate a significant growth. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced more than sixfold increases, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen growth exceeding 500%.

Female Capital Punishment Cases

Current calculations 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 likewise the states that perform the highest number of executions in general, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on recent documentation, an unknown number 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.

Unreliable information is available for states with most frequent capital punishment or for nations like North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is available for 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 compulsory capital punishment for murder, or that fail to acknowledge gender-based violence as reducing factors, are prone to exhibit greater amounts of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Moreover, 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.

Appropriateness of Imprisonment for Women

Various professionals and activists contend that prison is not a suitable punishment for a large number of women who break the law. The majority are imprisoned for non-violent crimes; in Britain, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women often encounter a "cyclical pattern of brief incarceration periods – insufficiently long 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, based on the WHO.

In reaction to rising numbers of jailed women and a absence of guidelines 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 oblige states to develop non-custodial sanctions and to provide women-specific consideration in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

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

Apart from 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 short time in prison.

Numerous nations allow for babies and young children to live in incarceration centers with their mothers up to a certain age. Nevertheless, a childhood spent in prison can harm a young person both in health and mental state.