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Current Global Women Prison Inmates

More than 733,000 women and girls are detained in prison systems worldwide, as reported by latest investigations. This statistic covers both pre-trial detainees and individuals already found guilty and punished. Experts believe the real number is substantially larger due to missing information from numerous states.

Women consistently represent a small minority of overall inmate numbers – typically between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the world's incarcerated individuals. Nonetheless, their numbers are increasing at a quicker pace than male prisoners.

Over the past two decades, the female prison population in prison has grown by nearly 60% – roughly triple the rise observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The worldwide women inmate count grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Rise

Offenses committed by women are often connected to financial deprivation and usually serve as a means of survival to care for their dependents.

Comprehensive research has determined that legislation frequently penalizes basic sustenance activities and that women are unequally impacted because they are more commonly found among the poorest sectors of society. In many countries, laws criminalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution almost exclusively affect women. The likelihood of receiving a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the lack of resources for fines for petty offenses or to secure bail.

Nations with the Highest Female Prison Populations

The America has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China comes next with 145,000, plus an uncertain quantity of women and girls in remand imprisonment and "administrative detention". 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 the UK, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the overall inmate count. Estimates suggest these numbers are anticipated to grow 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 overall inmate demographic.

States with Major Growth in Female Prison Populations

Although including normal population growth over the past 25 years, the rise in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people remains indicative of a substantial rise. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced over six times growth, while these countries have seen increases over five times.

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 countries that execute the most women are similarly the nations that execute the most people in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by recent documentation, an unknown number of women were given capital punishment in China, while two received death sentences in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

Unreliable information is available for nations with highest execution rates or for nations like North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the largest quantities of women on death row.

The principal violations for which women are receiving execution orders are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that do not recognize gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are more likely to have greater amounts of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Moreover, countries that harshly penalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Middle East and southeast Asia, have a significant percentage of women on death row.

Fitness of Incarceration for Females

Many experts and campaigners argue that prison is unsuitable sanction for a large number of women who violate regulations. The majority are imprisoned for peaceful violations; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fit this category. Women often encounter a "repetitive cycle of limited imprisonment terms – insufficiently long to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Approximately 80% of women in prison worldwide have an diagnosable psychological condition. In Europe, self-destruction numbers for women in prison are nine times higher than for the general population, as reported by the World Health Organization.

In reaction to growing statistics of incarcerated women and a deficiency of regulations considering their circumstances, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were accepted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules mandate countries to create alternative punishments and to provide women-specific consideration in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An estimated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, usually their mother, while many times that number are separated from them. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a incarcerated mother.

Apart from the obvious separation 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 brief period in prison.

Various states allow 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 harm a young person both physically and emotionally.