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Current Global Female Prison Inmates

More than 733,000 women and girls are confined in penal institutions internationally, based on recent investigations. This number covers both awaiting trial prisoners and those who have been convicted and sentenced. Analysts suggest the real number is substantially larger due to incomplete data from multiple states.

Female inmates generally account for a limited percentage of overall inmate numbers – usually between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the world's incarcerated individuals. Nevertheless, their figures are rising at a more rapid tempo than male inmates.

Over the past two decades, the female prison population in prison has increased by almost three-fifths – roughly triple the increase observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The international incarcerated women statistics increased by more than 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Growth

Offenses committed by women are frequently linked to poverty and often constitute a means of survival to care for their dependents.

Comprehensive research has established that laws often criminalize essential livelihood measures and that women are unfairly targeted because they are more commonly found among the poorest sectors of society. In various countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution almost exclusively affect women. The likelihood of receiving a prison sentence is typically associated with poverty and the inability to pay fines for petty offenses or to arrange temporary freedom.

Countries with the Greatest Female Prison Populations

The United States has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an uncertain quantity of women and girls in pre-trial detention and "procedural custody. Other significant 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 Britain, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the overall inmate count. 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, amounting to approximately 8% of its complete incarceration numbers.

Countries with Major Growth in Female Prison Populations

Although including normal population growth over the past 25 years, the increase in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people remains indicative of a remarkable increase. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced over six times growth, while these countries have seen more than fivefold rises.

Female Capital Punishment Cases

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 perform the highest number of executions in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by current records, an unknown number of women were given capital punishment 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 states with most frequent capital punishment or for additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the largest quantities of women on death row.

The main offenses for which women are receiving execution orders are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that do not recognize gender-based violence as lessening conditions, are prone to exhibit increased quantities of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Furthermore, countries that severely criminalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Middle East and Asian southeast, have a significant percentage of women on death row.

Suitability of Prison for Women

Various professionals and advocates contend that prison is unsuitable sanction for a significant portion of women who violate regulations. Many are jailed for peaceful violations; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 belonged to this group. Women often encounter a "cyclical pattern of limited imprisonment terms – too brief to engage in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 80% of women in prison worldwide have an diagnosable psychological condition. In Europe, suicide rates for women in prison are nine times higher than for the general population, based on the WHO.

In answer to growing statistics of incarcerated women and a absence of guidelines considering their circumstances, 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 mandate countries to develop non-custodial sanctions and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.

Kids with Imprisoned Mothers

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

Besides the obvious separation and related distress that a prison sentence can cause, it is frequent for a woman to lose custody of her children after just a short time in prison.

Numerous nations permit babies and young children to stay in prison with their mothers up to a certain age. Nevertheless, a early life in correctional facilities can negatively affect a minor both physically and emotionally.