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Current Global Women Prison Inmates

More than 733,000 women and girls are detained in prison systems internationally, according to recent analyses. This statistic encompasses both remand prisoners and those who have been found guilty and punished. Analysts suggest the true count is much greater due to incomplete data from multiple nations.

Female inmates generally account for a limited percentage of correctional system demographics – typically between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls account for approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. However, their numbers are increasing at a faster rate than male prisoners.

Since the year 2000, the female prison population in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – almost three times the rise observed in the male inmate numbers. The worldwide women inmate count grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Increase

Women's lawbreaking are commonly linked to poverty and usually serve as a means of survival to provide for their families.

Comprehensive research has determined that laws often criminalize acts of survival and that women are disproportionately affected because they are over-represented among the most impoverished segments of society. In numerous countries, laws penalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution primarily impact women. The probability of getting a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the lack of resources for fines for small infractions or to secure bail.

Countries with the Greatest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The United States has the highest count of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an unknown number of women and girls in pre-trial detention and "administrative detention". 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 total prison population. Projections indicate these numbers are anticipated to grow 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 total prison population.

Countries with Major Growth in Incarcerated Women Statistics

Although including standard demographic increases over the last quarter-century, the increase in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people continues to demonstrate a substantial rise. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced over six times growth, while these countries have seen more than fivefold rises.

Incarcerated Women Facing Execution

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 similarly the nations that execute the most people in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by recent documentation, an undetermined count of women were executed in China, while two received death sentences in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

Incomplete statistics 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 highest numbers of females on death row.

The main offenses for which women are given capital punishment are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that do not recognize gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are more likely to have increased quantities of women on death row and additional capital punishments.

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

Fitness of Imprisonment for Women

Numerous specialists and campaigners contend that prison is unsuitable sanction for a substantial percentage of women who violate regulations. Most are incarcerated for peaceful violations; in Britain, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 belonged to this group. Women commonly face a "revolving door" of limited imprisonment terms – insufficiently long to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 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 overall public, based on the WHO.

In answer to increasing figures of incarcerated women and a lack of standards considering their circumstances, the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners (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.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An calculated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, usually their mother, while a much larger quantity are separated from them. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a incarcerated mother.

In addition to the evident parting and connected hardship 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.

Various states make provision for babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a specific age. Nevertheless, a early life in correctional facilities can damage a child both bodily and psychologically.