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Current Global Women Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are currently held in penal institutions globally, according to latest research studies. This number encompasses both pre-trial detainees and individuals already found guilty and punished. Analysts suggest the actual total is much greater due to unavailable statistics from multiple countries.

Female inmates generally account for a small minority of overall inmate numbers – typically between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls represent approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. However, their figures are rising at a quicker pace than male inmates.

From the millennium onward, the female prison population in prison has grown by nearly 60% – nearly thrice the rise observed in the male inmate numbers. The international incarcerated women statistics rose by over 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Growth

Women's lawbreaking are often linked to poverty and typically represent a method of sustenance to care for their dependents.

Comprehensive research has established that laws often criminalize essential livelihood measures and that women are unequally impacted because they are disproportionately represented among the lowest economic brackets of society. In many countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution almost exclusively affect women. The chance of being given a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the lack of resources for fines for petty offenses or to obtain release.

Countries with the Highest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The United States has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China comes next with 145,000, plus an undetermined count of women and girls in remand imprisonment 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 the UK, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the overall inmate count. Projections indicate these numbers are expected to rise to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are presently incarcerated, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, representing approximately 8% of its total prison population.

States with Major Growth in Women Inmate Numbers

Despite considering typical population expansion over the past 25 years, the increase in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people continues to demonstrate a remarkable increase. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced more than sixfold increases, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen more than fivefold rises.

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 nations that put to death the most women are likewise the states that carry out the most capital punishments in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. According to latest reports, 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 nations with highest execution rates or for others such as North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. However, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the most women on death row.

The two primary crimes for which women are receiving execution orders are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with compulsory capital punishment for murder, or that fail to acknowledge gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are prone to exhibit higher numbers of women on death row and more executions.

Additionally, countries that harshly penalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Arabian Peninsula and Asian southeast, have a high proportion of women on death row.

Suitability of Incarceration for Females

Many experts and advocates argue that prison is not a suitable punishment for a substantial percentage 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 fell into this classification. Women often encounter a "repetitive cycle of brief incarceration periods – insufficiently long to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

As many as 80% of women in prison worldwide have an recognizable psychiatric disorder. In Europe, self-destruction numbers for women in prison are nine times higher than for the general population, as reported by the global health authority.

In reaction to increasing figures of imprisoned females and a deficiency of regulations considering their circumstances, the International Women Prisoner Standards (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 ensure gender-sensitive treatment in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An estimated 19,000 children reside in correctional facilities with a parent, most often their mother, while significantly more children are separated from them. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a mother in prison.

In addition to the evident parting and related distress that a prison sentence can cause, it is frequent for a woman to forfeit parental rights of her children after just a short time in prison.

Many countries make provision for babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a certain age. However, a childhood spent in prison can harm a young person both in health and mental state.