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Current Global Female Prison Inmates

Over 733,000 women and girls are confined in penal institutions internationally, based on recent analyses. This statistic encompasses both pre-trial detainees and individuals already found guilty and punished. Experts believe the actual total is significantly higher due to incomplete data from multiple countries.

Women consistently represent a minor proportion of correctional system demographics – usually between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls account for approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. Nevertheless, their numbers are increasing at a quicker pace than male prisoners.

Over the past two decades, the number of women and girls in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – almost three times the increase observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The international incarcerated women statistics rose by over 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Growth

Offenses committed by women are commonly linked to poverty and typically represent a method of sustenance to care for their dependents.

Detailed analysis has found that laws often criminalize essential livelihood measures and that women are unequally impacted because they are disproportionately represented among the poorest sectors of society. In various countries, laws penalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution almost exclusively affect women. The likelihood of receiving a prison sentence is frequently connected with poverty and the failure to afford fines for minor crimes or to arrange temporary freedom.

Countries with the Highest Female Prison Populations

The United States has the largest number of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an unknown number of women and girls in awaiting trial custody 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 England and Wales, 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, amounting to approximately 8% of its complete incarceration numbers.

Countries with Major Growth in Women Inmate Numbers

Even accounting for typical population expansion over the previous two-and-a-half decades, the rise in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a remarkable increase. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced over six times growth, while these countries have seen growth exceeding 500%.

Incarcerated Women Facing Execution

Current calculations 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 also the countries that perform the highest number of executions in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on recent documentation, an undetermined count of women were put to death in China, while two were executed 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. Nonetheless, analysis is available for 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 refuse to consider gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are inclined to display higher numbers of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Moreover, countries that strictly prohibit drug trafficking, such as those in the Gulf region and Asian southeast, have a high proportion of women on death row.

Fitness of Prison for Women

Various professionals and advocates argue that prison is not a suitable punishment for a significant portion of women who break the law. Many are jailed for peaceful violations; in the UK, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fit this category. Women frequently experience a "revolving door" of short prison sentences – insufficiently long to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

As many as 80% of women in prison worldwide have an diagnosable psychological condition. In Europe, self-harm statistics for women in prison are nine times higher than for the wider community, as reported by the WHO.

In reaction to rising numbers of incarcerated women and a deficiency of regulations reflecting their needs, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules require nations to establish non-imprisonment penalties and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An estimated 19,000 children dwell in incarceration centers with a parent, typically their mother, while many times that number are divided from their parents. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a mother in prison.

In addition to the obvious separation 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.

Numerous nations allow for babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a certain age. Nevertheless, a childhood spent in prison can harm a young person both bodily and psychologically.