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Current Global Female Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are currently held in correctional facilities globally, according to recent investigations. This figure covers both pre-trial detainees and individuals already convicted and sentenced. Researchers estimate the real number is substantially larger due to incomplete data from multiple countries.

Females typically constitute a small minority of national prison populations – typically between 2-9% on average. As of now, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. Nevertheless, their figures are rising at a more rapid tempo than incarcerated men.

From the millennium onward, the incarcerated females in prison has increased by almost three-fifths – almost three times the increase observed in the male inmate numbers. The worldwide women inmate count grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Growth

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

Detailed analysis has found that regulations typically outlaw 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 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 inability to pay fines for petty offenses or to secure bail.

Countries with the Greatest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The US has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an undetermined count of women and girls in remand imprisonment and "procedural custody. 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 complete incarceration statistics. Forecasts show 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, representing approximately 8% of its total prison population.

Countries with Substantial Rises in Female Prison Populations

Despite considering standard demographic increases 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. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced over six times growth, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen increases over five times.

Women on Death Row

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 similarly the nations that execute the most people in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on recent documentation, an undetermined count 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.

Incomplete statistics is available for states with most frequent capital punishment or for others such as North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nonetheless, analysis is accessible regarding 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females on death row.

The principal violations for which women are sentenced to death are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that do not recognize gender-based violence as reducing factors, are inclined to display increased quantities of women on death row and additional capital punishments.

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

Suitability of Imprisonment for Women

Many experts and campaigners argue that prison is unsuitable sanction for a substantial percentage of women who violate regulations. Most are incarcerated for non-violent crimes; in the UK, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women frequently experience a "revolving door" of limited imprisonment terms – inadequate duration to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Approximately 80% of women in prison worldwide have an recognizable psychiatric disorder. In Europe, self-harm statistics for women in prison are nine times higher than for the general population, as reported by the World Health Organization.

In answer to rising numbers of jailed women and a deficiency of regulations reflecting their needs, the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners (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.

Children of Female Prisoners

An estimated 19,000 children dwell in incarceration centers with a parent, typically their mother, while significantly more children are apart from their mothers. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a imprisoned parent.

Besides the evident parting and associated suffering that a prison sentence can cause, it is not uncommon for a woman to forfeit parental rights of her children after just a short time in prison.

Numerous nations permit babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a specific age. However, a youth experienced in incarceration can harm a young person both physically and emotionally.