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Current Worldwide Female Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are currently held in penal institutions globally, as reported by current investigations. This number encompasses both awaiting trial prisoners and individuals already found guilty and punished. Experts believe the real number is much greater due to missing information from multiple states.

Women consistently represent a minor proportion of overall inmate numbers – typically between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the world's incarcerated individuals. However, their numbers are increasing at a more rapid tempo than male prisoners.

From the millennium onward, the number of women and girls in prison has grown by nearly 60% – roughly triple the growth observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The international incarcerated women statistics grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the ten-year interval ending in 2020.

Main Causes Behind the Rise

Offenses committed by women are commonly connected to financial deprivation and usually serve as a means of survival to support their children and relatives.

Detailed analysis has found that laws often criminalize basic sustenance activities and that women are disproportionately affected because they are more commonly found among the lowest economic brackets of society. In many countries, laws prohibiting 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 failure to afford fines for small infractions or to obtain release.

States with the Largest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The United States 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 awaiting trial custody and "procedural custody. 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 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 presently incarcerated, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, representing approximately 8% of its total prison population.

Countries with Significant Increases in Women Inmate Numbers

Even accounting for standard demographic increases over the past 25 years, the rise in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people continues to demonstrate a remarkable increase. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced increases exceeding 600%, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen increases over five times.

Incarcerated Women Facing Execution

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, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. According to latest reports, an undetermined count of women were executed 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 additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. However, analysis is accessible regarding 15 other countries with the most women on death row.

The two primary crimes for which women are receiving execution orders are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that refuse to consider gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are more likely to have increased quantities of women on death row and additional capital punishments.

Moreover, countries that severely criminalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Arabian Peninsula and Asian southeast, have a high proportion of women on death row.

Appropriateness of Prison for Women

Various professionals and campaigners argue that prison is inappropriate penalty for a large number of women who violate regulations. 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 frequently experience a "cyclical pattern of brief incarceration periods – inadequate duration to engage 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, based on the World Health Organization.

In reaction to increasing figures of incarcerated women and a lack of standards reflecting their needs, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules oblige states to create alternative punishments and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An approximated 19,000 children reside in correctional facilities with a parent, most often their mother, while significantly more children are divided from their parents. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a incarcerated mother.

Besides the clear division and related distress that a prison sentence can cause, it is quite common for a woman to lose custody of her children after just a brief period in prison.

Many countries make provision for babies and young children to stay in prison with their mothers up to a certain age. However, a early life in correctional facilities can damage a child both in health and mental state.