🔗 Share this article

Present Worldwide Female Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are detained in correctional facilities worldwide, according to recent research studies. This statistic covers both remand prisoners and individuals already convicted and sentenced. Experts believe the actual total is much greater due to unavailable statistics from multiple nations.

Females typically constitute a small minority of national prison populations – commonly between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls represent approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. However, their population is growing at a quicker pace than incarcerated men.

From the millennium onward, the female prison population in prison has increased by almost three-fifths – nearly thrice the increase observed in the male prison population. The worldwide women inmate count rose by over 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Main Causes Behind the Growth

Female criminal activities are commonly linked to poverty and typically represent a means of survival to support their children and relatives.

Comprehensive research has found that legislation frequently penalizes essential livelihood measures and that women are disproportionately affected because they are more commonly found among the most impoverished segments of society. In numerous countries, laws criminalizing 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.

Countries with the Largest Women Inmate Numbers

The US has the highest count of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an undetermined count of women and girls in pre-trial detention and "administrative detention". 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. Forecasts show 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, constituting approximately 8% of its total prison population.

States with Substantial Rises in Incarcerated Women Statistics

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

Women on Death Row

Current calculations 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 likewise the states that perform the highest number of executions in general, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by current records, an uncertain quantity 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.

Incomplete statistics is available for countries that execute the most or for nations like North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is accessible regarding 15 other countries with the largest quantities of women on death row.

The two primary crimes for which women are sentenced to death are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that fail to acknowledge gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are prone to exhibit increased quantities of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Additionally, countries that severely criminalize 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

Many experts and campaigners maintain 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 commonly face a "cyclical pattern of brief incarceration periods – too brief to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 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 World Health Organization.

In reaction to rising numbers of imprisoned females and a deficiency of regulations 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.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An approximated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, most often their mother, while many times that number are apart from their mothers. 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 quite common for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a short time in prison.

Many countries permit babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a particular maturity level. However, a youth experienced in incarceration can negatively affect a minor both physically and emotionally.