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Current Global Female Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are currently held in correctional facilities worldwide, according to recent analyses. This figure covers both remand prisoners and individuals already convicted and sentenced. Analysts suggest the actual total is substantially larger due to unavailable statistics from several nations.

Females typically constitute a minor proportion of correctional system demographics – typically between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls account for approximately 6.8% of the world's incarcerated individuals. Nevertheless, their numbers are increasing at a faster rate than male inmates.

Over the past two decades, the number of women and girls in prison has increased by almost three-fifths – roughly triple the increase observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The worldwide women inmate count rose by over 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Increase

Female criminal activities are often linked to poverty and typically represent a way to support themselves to support their children and relatives.

Detailed analysis has found that laws often criminalize essential livelihood measures and that women are unequally impacted because they are over-represented among the lowest economic brackets of society. In many countries, laws penalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution disproportionately target women. The probability of getting a prison sentence is frequently connected with poverty and the lack of resources for fines for small infractions or to secure bail.

Countries with the Greatest Female Prison Populations

The US has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an unknown number of women and girls in remand imprisonment and "administrative detention". Additional major sources 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 total prison population. Estimates suggest these numbers are anticipated to grow 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.

Countries with Major Growth in Female Prison Populations

Despite considering standard demographic increases over the past 25 years, the surge in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a substantial rise. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced over six times growth, while Turkey and Indonesia have seen more than fivefold rises.

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 likewise the states that perform the highest number of executions in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by recent documentation, an undetermined count 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.

Incomplete statistics is available for states with most frequent capital punishment or for additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nonetheless, analysis is obtainable concerning 15 other countries with the most women on death row.

The main offenses for which women are receiving execution orders are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with mandatory death penalties for murder, or that refuse to consider gender-based violence as lessening conditions, are more likely to have increased quantities of women on death row and more executions.

Furthermore, countries that harshly penalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Middle East and southeast Asia, have a high proportion of women on death row.

Fitness of Prison for Women

Numerous specialists and activists argue that prison is unsuitable sanction for a large number of women who break the law. Many are jailed for peaceful violations; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women commonly face a "cyclical pattern 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 diagnosable psychological condition. In Europe, self-destruction numbers for women in prison are nine times higher than for the overall public, based on the global health authority.

In response to rising numbers of jailed women and a absence of guidelines considering their circumstances, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules oblige states to establish non-imprisonment penalties and to ensure gender-sensitive treatment in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An estimated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, typically their mother, while significantly more children are separated from them. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a imprisoned parent.

Besides the evident parting and related distress that a prison sentence can cause, it is quite common for a woman to be deprived of guardianship 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 particular maturity level. Nonetheless, a childhood spent in prison can harm a young person both physically and emotionally.