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Current Global Women Prison Population

In excess of 733,000 women and girls are confined in correctional facilities internationally, based on current investigations. This statistic encompasses both pre-trial detainees and individuals already found guilty and punished. Experts believe the real number is much greater due to unavailable statistics from numerous states.

Females typically constitute a minor proportion of national prison populations – typically between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the world's incarcerated individuals. Nevertheless, their population is growing at a faster rate than incarcerated men.

Since the year 2000, the incarcerated females in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – roughly triple the rise observed in the male inmate numbers. The global female prison population increased by more than 100,000 individuals during the ten-year interval ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Rise

Female criminal activities are often connected to financial deprivation and typically represent a way to support themselves to care for their dependents.

Detailed analysis has determined that laws often criminalize basic sustenance activities and that women are unequally impacted because they are more commonly found among the most impoverished segments of society. In numerous countries, laws criminalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution disproportionately target women. The chance of being given a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the failure to afford fines for petty offenses or to arrange temporary freedom.

Nations with the Highest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The US has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an undetermined count 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 complete incarceration statistics. Projections indicate 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, constituting approximately 8% of its overall inmate demographic.

Nations with Substantial Rises in Women Inmate Numbers

Although including normal population growth over the past 25 years, the increase in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people continues to demonstrate a substantial rise. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced more than sixfold increases, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen growth exceeding 500%.

Female Capital Punishment Cases

Recent estimates 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 perform the highest number of executions in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by recent documentation, an uncertain quantity of women were given capital punishment 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 countries that execute the most or for additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, 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 refuse to consider gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are prone to exhibit increased quantities of women on death row and additional capital punishments.

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

Appropriateness of Imprisonment for Women

Numerous specialists and advocates argue that prison is unsuitable sanction for a substantial percentage of women who break the law. Most are incarcerated for non-aggressive offenses; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women often encounter a "cyclical pattern of brief incarceration periods – too brief to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Approximately 80% of women in prison worldwide have an identifiable mental illness. In Europe, suicide rates for women in prison are nine times higher than for the overall public, based on the WHO.

In answer to rising numbers of jailed women and a deficiency of regulations 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 require nations to establish non-imprisonment penalties and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An calculated 19,000 children reside in correctional facilities with a parent, most often their mother, while many times that number 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 short time in prison.

Many countries make provision for babies and young children to stay in prison with their mothers up to a particular maturity level. Nonetheless, a youth experienced in incarceration can damage a child both physically and emotionally.