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Current Global Female Prison Inmates

In excess of 733,000 women and girls are detained in penal institutions internationally, based on current investigations. This number covers both remand prisoners and those who have been convicted and sentenced. Researchers estimate the real number is significantly higher due to unavailable statistics from multiple countries.

Female inmates generally account for a minor proportion of overall inmate numbers – commonly between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls represent approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. Nonetheless, their population is growing at a quicker pace than incarcerated men.

From the millennium onward, the number of women and girls in prison has grown by nearly 60% – roughly triple the increase observed in the male inmate numbers. The international incarcerated women statistics rose by over 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Growth

Offenses committed by women are frequently associated with economic hardship and usually serve as a means of survival to support their children and relatives.

Detailed analysis has established that laws often criminalize essential livelihood measures and that women are disproportionately affected because they are disproportionately represented among the poorest sectors of society. In various countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution primarily impact women. The likelihood of receiving a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the inability to pay fines for petty offenses or to arrange temporary freedom.

Countries with the Greatest Female Prison Populations

The America has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China comes next with 145,000, plus an unknown number of women and girls in remand imprisonment and "bureaucratic confinement. 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 overall inmate count. Forecasts show these numbers are predicted to increase to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are presently incarcerated, 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

Despite considering typical population expansion over the last quarter-century, the rise in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a substantial rise. These two nations have experienced more than sixfold increases, while Turkey and Indonesia have seen increases over five times.

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 states that carry out executions on the most women are similarly the nations that carry out the most capital punishments in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by recent documentation, an undetermined count of women were put to death in China, while two received death sentences in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

Unreliable information is available for countries that execute the most or for nations like North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. However, analysis is accessible regarding 15 other countries with the largest quantities of women on death row.

The principal violations for which women are given capital punishment are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with compulsory capital punishment for murder, or that fail to acknowledge gender-based violence as lessening conditions, are prone to exhibit increased quantities of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

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

Suitability of Prison for Women

Many experts and campaigners argue that prison is not a suitable punishment for a large number of women who commit crimes. Most are incarcerated for peaceful violations; in the UK, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 belonged to this group. Women commonly face a "cyclical pattern of limited imprisonment terms – insufficiently long to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 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 overall public, as reported by the WHO.

In response to growing statistics of imprisoned females and a absence of guidelines 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 oblige states to create alternative punishments and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An calculated 19,000 children reside in correctional facilities with a parent, usually their mother, while a much larger quantity are apart from their mothers. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a imprisoned parent.

In addition to the evident parting and associated suffering that a prison sentence can cause, it is frequent 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 live in incarceration centers with their mothers up to a specific age. Nonetheless, a childhood spent in prison can harm a young person both bodily and psychologically.