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Current Global Women Prison Population

More than 733,000 women and girls are confined in prison systems internationally, according to recent analyses. This figure includes both awaiting trial prisoners and individuals already convicted and sentenced. Experts believe the actual total is significantly higher due to missing information from numerous countries.

Female inmates generally account for a limited percentage of overall inmate numbers – typically between 2-9% on average. As of now, women and girls account for approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. Nonetheless, their numbers are increasing at a faster rate than male prisoners.

Since the year 2000, the female prison population in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – almost three times the growth observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The worldwide women inmate count increased by more than 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Increase

Offenses committed by women are commonly linked to poverty and often constitute a way to support themselves to care for their dependents.

Comprehensive research has found that legislation frequently penalizes essential livelihood measures and that women are unfairly targeted because they are disproportionately represented among the most impoverished segments of society. In various countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution almost exclusively affect women. The probability of getting a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the inability to pay fines for minor crimes or to secure bail.

Nations with the Highest Women Inmate Numbers

The United States has the highest count of female prisoners with 174,607. China comes next with 145,000, plus an uncertain quantity of women and girls in remand imprisonment 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 the UK, 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 overall inmate demographic.

Countries with Major Growth in Female Prison Populations

Although including standard demographic increases over the previous two-and-a-half decades, the rise in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a significant growth. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced increases exceeding 600%, while these countries have seen increases over five times.

Women on Death Row

Recent estimates indicate there are between 500 and 1,000 women on death row in at least 42 countries worldwide.

The countries that execute the most women are also the countries that execute the most people in general, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by recent documentation, an undetermined count of women were put to death 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 nations with highest execution rates or for additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nonetheless, analysis is obtainable concerning 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females on death row.

The main offenses for which women are given capital punishment are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with mandatory death penalties 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 frequent death sentences.

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

Suitability of Imprisonment for Women

Many experts and advocates argue that prison is unsuitable sanction for a large number of women who commit crimes. Most are incarcerated for non-violent crimes; in the UK, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fit this category. Women often encounter a "cyclical pattern of brief incarceration periods – too brief to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 80% of women in prison worldwide have an identifiable mental illness. In Europe, self-destruction numbers for women in prison are nine times higher than for the general population, according to the World Health Organization.

In answer to rising numbers of jailed women and a absence of guidelines reflecting their needs, the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners (known as the Bangkok Rules) were accepted 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 calculated 19,000 children reside in correctional facilities with a parent, most often their mother, while significantly more children are separated from them. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a imprisoned parent.

Apart from the obvious separation and connected hardship that a prison sentence can cause, it is frequent for a woman to lose custody of her children after just a brief period in prison.

Various states permit babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a certain age. Nonetheless, a youth experienced in incarceration can harm a young person both in health and mental state.