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Present Global Women Prison Inmates

More than 733,000 women and girls are currently held in penal institutions internationally, based on recent investigations. This statistic includes both remand prisoners and those who have been convicted and sentenced. Experts believe the true count is significantly higher due to unavailable statistics from numerous states.

Females typically constitute a minor proportion of overall inmate numbers – commonly between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. However, their population is growing at a quicker pace than incarcerated men.

Over the past two decades, the number of women and girls in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – nearly thrice the rise observed in the male inmate numbers. The worldwide women inmate count grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Increase

Women's lawbreaking are commonly associated with economic hardship and typically represent a way to support themselves to care for their dependents.

Comprehensive research has found that regulations typically outlaw basic sustenance activities and that women are unfairly targeted because they are over-represented among the lowest economic brackets of society. In numerous 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 petty offenses or to obtain release.

Countries with the Largest Female Prison Populations

The US has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China comes next with 145,000, plus an undetermined count 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. Estimates suggest these numbers are expected to rise to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are presently incarcerated, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, representing approximately 8% of its total prison population.

States with Significant Increases in Incarcerated Women Statistics

Although including normal population growth over the past 25 years, the rise in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a substantial rise. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced more than sixfold increases, while these countries have seen more than fivefold rises.

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 likewise the states that execute the most people in general, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. According to current records, an unknown number 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.

No accurate data is available for countries that execute the most or for additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nonetheless, analysis is accessible regarding 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females on death row.

The main offenses 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 reducing factors, are prone to exhibit greater amounts of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Furthermore, countries that strictly prohibit drug trafficking, such as those in the Arabian Peninsula and Oriental southeast, have a substantial ratio of women on death row.

Suitability of Imprisonment for Women

Various professionals and advocates maintain that prison is inappropriate penalty for a large number of women who violate regulations. Many are jailed for non-violent crimes; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fit this category. Women frequently experience a "repetitive cycle of limited imprisonment terms – inadequate duration to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Approximately 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 overall public, based on the World Health Organization.

In response to growing statistics of imprisoned females and a absence of guidelines addressing their requirements, the International Women Prisoner Standards (known as the Bangkok Rules) were approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules oblige states 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 many times that number are divided from their parents. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a imprisoned parent.

Besides the clear division and related distress that a prison sentence can cause, it is quite common for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a limited duration in prison.

Various states allow for babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a certain age. However, a childhood spent in prison can damage a child both in health and mental state.