Global Women Incarceration Statistics and Death Row Numbers

Current Worldwide Women Prison Inmates

Over 733,000 women and girls are detained in penal institutions globally, based on latest analyses. This number includes both pre-trial detainees and those who have been found guilty and punished. Experts believe the true count is much greater due to missing information from numerous countries.

Women consistently represent a small minority of national prison populations – commonly between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls represent approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. Nonetheless, their numbers are increasing at a quicker pace than male inmates.

Over the past two decades, the incarcerated females in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – almost three times the rise observed in the male prison population. The worldwide women inmate count grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the ten-year interval ending in 2020.

Main Causes Behind the Rise

Offenses committed by women are frequently connected to financial deprivation and often constitute a means of survival to care for their dependents.

Detailed analysis has found that regulations typically outlaw essential livelihood measures and that women are unfairly targeted because they are over-represented among the poorest sectors of society. In many countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution disproportionately target women. The likelihood of receiving a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the failure to afford fines for minor crimes or to obtain release.

States 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 "administrative detention". Further substantial 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 complete incarceration statistics. Projections indicate 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 overall inmate demographic.

States with Major Growth in Women Inmate Numbers

Despite considering typical population expansion over the past 25 years, the increase in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people remains indicative of a remarkable increase. These two nations have experienced over six times growth, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen increases over five times.

Women on Death Row

Present approximations 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 similarly the nations that carry out the most capital punishments in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by current records, an uncertain quantity of women were executed 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 additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the most women on death row.

The two primary crimes for which women are given capital punishment are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that refuse to consider gender-based violence as reducing factors, are prone to exhibit greater amounts of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Moreover, countries that harshly penalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Middle East and Oriental southeast, have a significant percentage of women on death row.

Appropriateness of Incarceration for Females

Numerous specialists and campaigners contend that prison is unsuitable sanction for a significant portion of women who violate regulations. Most are incarcerated for non-violent crimes; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fit this category. Women often encounter a "cyclical pattern of short prison sentences – insufficiently long to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Approximately 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 wider community, according to the WHO.

In reaction to growing statistics of imprisoned females and a lack of standards 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 establish non-imprisonment penalties and to provide women-specific consideration in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An calculated 19,000 children dwell in incarceration centers with a parent, usually their mother, while significantly more children are apart from their mothers. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a incarcerated mother.

In addition to the obvious separation and connected hardship that a prison sentence can cause, it is not uncommon for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a brief period in prison.

Many countries allow for babies and young children to stay in prison with their mothers up to a particular maturity level. Nevertheless, a youth experienced in incarceration can harm a young person both in health and mental state.