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Current Global Female Prison Inmates

In excess of 733,000 women and girls are currently held in prison systems internationally, as reported by latest analyses. This figure includes both pre-trial detainees and individuals already convicted and sentenced. Researchers estimate the actual total is substantially larger due to incomplete data from multiple countries.

Women consistently represent a limited percentage of overall inmate numbers – typically between 2-9% on average. As of now, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. However, their numbers are increasing at a more rapid tempo than male inmates.

Since the year 2000, the number of women and girls in prison has grown by nearly 60% – roughly triple the growth observed in the male inmate numbers. The global female prison population grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Growth

Female criminal activities are often linked to poverty and often constitute a way to support themselves to provide for their families.

Extensive studies has established that legislation frequently penalizes essential livelihood measures and that women are unequally impacted because they are more commonly found among the lowest economic brackets of society. In many 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 failure to afford fines for small infractions or to secure bail.

Nations with the Highest Women Inmate Numbers

The US has the largest number of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an unknown number of women and girls in remand imprisonment 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 overall inmate count. Forecasts show these numbers are predicted to increase 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 total prison population.

Countries with Major Growth in Women Inmate Numbers

Although including standard demographic increases over the previous two-and-a-half decades, the surge in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people remains indicative of a significant growth. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced over six times growth, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen growth exceeding 500%.

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 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. Based on 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 others such as North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is obtainable concerning 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females on death row.

The two primary crimes for which women are sentenced to death are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with compulsory capital punishment for murder, or that refuse to consider gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are prone to exhibit greater amounts 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 significant percentage of women on death row.

Fitness of Imprisonment for Women

Numerous specialists and campaigners maintain that prison is not a suitable punishment for a significant portion of women who violate regulations. Many are jailed for non-aggressive offenses; in the UK, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 belonged to this group. Women frequently experience a "repetitive cycle of limited imprisonment terms – too brief to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 80% of women in prison worldwide have an identifiable mental illness. In Europe, self-harm statistics for women in prison are nine times higher than for the overall public, as reported by the WHO.

In reaction to rising numbers of incarcerated women and a deficiency of regulations considering their circumstances, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules mandate countries to create alternative punishments and to ensure gender-sensitive treatment in prisons.

Kids with Imprisoned Mothers

An estimated 19,000 children reside in correctional facilities with a parent, most often their mother, while a much larger quantity are separated from them. 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 lose custody of her children after just a brief period in prison.

Many countries permit babies and young children to live in incarceration centers with their mothers up to a particular maturity level. However, a childhood spent in prison can negatively affect a minor both physically and emotionally.