188

Findings
The Research, Development and
Statistics Directorate exists to
improve policy making, decision
taking and practice in support
of the Home Office purpose and
aims, to provide the public and
Parliament with information
necessary for informed debate
and to publish information for
future use.

World Prison Population List (fourth edition)
Roy Walmsley
The World Prison Population List gives details of the number of prisoners held in some 205
independent countries and dependent territories. It shows the differences in the level of
imprisonment across the world and makes possible an estimate of the world prison population total.

Key points
● More than 8.75 million people are held in penal institutions throughout the world, mostly as

Findings are produced by the
Research, Development and
Statistics Directorate. For further
copies contact:
Communication Development Unit
Room 275,
Home Office,
50 Queen Anne’s Gate,
London SW1H 9AT.
Tel: 020 7273 2084
Fax: 020 7222 0211

pre-trial detainees (remand prisoners) or having been convicted and sentenced. About half of
these are in the United States (1.96m), Russia (0.92m) or China (1.43m plus pre-trial
detainees and prisoners in ‘administrative detention’).
● The United States has the highest prison population rate in the world, some 686 per 100,000

of the national population, followed by the Cayman Islands (664), Russia (638), Belarus (554),
Kazakhstan (522), Turkmenistan (489), Belize (459), Bahamas (447), Suriname (437) and
Dominica (420).
● However, more than three-fifths of countries (62.5%) have rates below 150 per 100,000. (The

United Kingdom’s rate of 139 per 100,000 of the national population places it above the midpoint in the World List; it is now the highest among countries of the European Union.)
● Prison population rates vary considerably between different regions of the world, and between

different parts of the same continent. For example:
●

publications.rds@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
●

●

●

●

in Africa the median rate for western and central African countries is 50 whereas for
southern African countries it is 362;
in the Americas the median rate for south American countries is 107 whereas for
Caribbean countries it is 297;
in Asia the median rate for south central Asian countries (mainly the Indian sub-continent)
is 54 whereas for (ex-Soviet) central Asian countries it is 426;
in Europe the median rate for southern European countries is 69 whereas for central and
eastern European countries it is 213;
in Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand) the median rate is 110.

● Prison populations are growing in many parts of the world. Updated information on countries

included in the previous editions of the World Prison Population List shows that prison
populations have risen in 68% of these countries (in 61% of countries in Africa, 68% in the
Americas, 87% in Asia, 65% in Europe and 50% in Oceania).

© Crown copyright 2003
ISSN 1473-8406

This fourth edition of the World Prison Population
List has been compiled, like previous editions,
from a variety of sources. In almost all cases the
original source is the national prison
administration of the country concerned, or else
the Ministry responsible for the prison
administration. Most figures relate to dates
between 1999 and October 2002. Since prison
population rates (per 100,000 of the national
population) are based on estimates of the national

population they should not be regarded as
precise. In order to compare prison population
rates in different regions of the world, and to
estimate the number of persons held in prison in
the countries for which information is not
available, median rates have been used because
they minimise the effect of countries with rates that
are untypically high or low.
Continued on page 6

The views expressed in these findings are those of the author, not
necessarily those of the Home Office (nor do they reflect Government policy)

Findings 188
SOURCES
C of E
ILANUD
NPA

PRI
UNAFEI

Council of Europe
UN Latin American Institute
National prison administration

Penal Reform International
UN Asia and Far East Institute

Table 1 AFRICA
Prison population total
Date
(no. in penal institutions
incl. pre-trial detainees)
Northern Africa
Algeria
34,243
31/12/01
Egypt
c.80,000
/98
Libya
c.6,750
/98
Morocco
54,288
/00
Sudan
32,000
/97
Tunisia
23,165
31/12/96
Western Africa
Benin
4,961
30/9/00
Burkina Faso
2,800
9/02
Cape Verde
775
30/6/99
Côte d’Ivoire
10,355
8/3/02
Gambia
450
9/02
Ghana
11,624
mid-02
Guinea (Conakry) 3,070
mid-02
Mali
4,040
2/02
Mauritania
1,354
mid-02
Niger
c.6,000
mid-02
Nigeria
39,368
3/02
Senegal
5,360
9/02
Togo
2,043
6/11/98
Central Africa
Angola
4,975
mid-02
Cameroon
20,000
mid-02
Central African Rep. 4,168
/01
Chad
3,883
mid-02
Congo (Brazzaville) 918
/93
Sao Tome e Principe 130
4/02
Eastern Africa
Burundi
8,647
mid-02
Comoros
c.200
/98
Djibouti
384
16/12/99
Kenya
35,278
mid-02
Madagascar
20,109
31/7/99
Malawi
8,769
mid-02
Mauritius
2,438
mid-02
Mozambique
8,812
31/12/99
Rwanda
112,000 *
mid-02

Estimated
national
population

Prison population
rate (per 100,000 of
national population)

Source of
prison population
total

30.8m
66.0m
5.3m
28.4m
27.9m
9.15m

111
c.121
c.127
191
115
253

NPA
Crim. justice expert, Egypt
Crim. justice expert, Libya
NPA
Conference paper, January 1998
United Nations 5th Survey

6.1m
11.9m
418,000
16.3m
1.34m
19.7m
8.3m
11.7m
2.7m
11.2m
116.9m
9.7m
4.4m

81
24
185
64
34
59
37
35
50
c.54
34
55
46

NPA
NPA
Crim. justice expert, Cape Verde
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA

13.5m
15.2m
3.8m
8.1m
2.4m
165,000

37
132
110
48
38
79

NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
PRI, from NPA
NPA

6.5m
658,000
629,000
31.3m
15.5m
11.6m
1.2m
17.6m
7.9m

133
c.30
61
113
130
76
203
50
-*

NPA
Crim. justice expert, Comoros
Min. of Foreign Affairs, Djibouti
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
UN Development Programme report
NPA

*(Prison population total includes 103,134 held on suspicion of participation in genocide.)

Seychelles
157
27/10/99
76,000
207
NPA
Tanzania
44,063
10/6/02
36.0m
122
NPA
Uganda
c.21,900
5/02
24.0m
c.91
NPA (15,902)+c.6,000 in local prisons
Zambia
13,173
26/6/02
10.6m
124
NPA
Zimbabwe
c.21,000
mid-02
12.9m
c.163
NPA
Mayotte (France)
123
1/9/98 131,300
94
French Ministry of Justice
Réunion (France)
1,038
1/5/02 736,000
141
French Ministry of Justice
Southern Africa
Botswana
6,102
27/6/02
1.6m
381
NPA
Lesotho
3,000
mid-02
2.1m
143
NPA
Namibia
4,814
31/12/01
1.8m
267
NPA
South Africa
176,893
14/6/02
43.8m
404
NPA
Swaziland
3,400
8/02 938,000
362
NPA
(No information Western Africa: Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone. Central Africa: Congo (Kinshasa),
Equatorial Guinea, Gabon. Eastern Africa: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia.)

2

Findings 188

Table 2 AMERICAS
Prison population total
(no. in penal institutions
incl. pre-trial detainees)

Date

Estimated
national
population

Prison population
rate (per 100,000 of
national population)

Source of
prison population
total

North America
Canada
31,624
USA
1,962,220
Bermuda (UK)
286
Greenland (Denmark) 74

mid-01
31/12/01
29/12/99
/00

31.0m
286.0m
64,000
56,300

102
686
447
131

NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
US Bureau of Justice Statistics
NPA
Danish NPA

Central America
Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama

30/6/99
6/99
31/12/99
9/99
6/99
30/6/00
30/6/99
31/12/00

239,000
3.72m
6.35m
11.89m
6.32m
98.9m
5.02m
2.9m

459
229
109
71
172
156
143
286

ILANUD, from NPA
ILANUD, from NPA
U.S. government report
U.S. government report
ILANUD, from NPA
United Nations 7th Survey
ILANUD, from NPA and others
United Nations 7th Survey

2/98
10/02
22/2/02
/97
30/6/99
2/01
20/6/02
30/6/99
30/6/99
30/6/99
30/6/99

67,000
308,000
268,000
11.1m
71,000
8.6m
89,200
7.8m
2.5m
40,000
150,000

278
416
317
c.297
420
178
333
53
170
338
243

17/10/01
30/6/99
11/98
9/10/02
1/5/02
1/5/02

112,000
1.365m
94,000
36,600
432,000
386,000

270
351
237
664
139
173

NPA
ILANUD, from NPA
Dutch NPA
NPA
French Ministry of Justice
French Ministry of Justice

11/98
15/5/02
19/8/99

214,000
4.1m
20,000

364
368
215

31/12/01

123,000

402

Dutch NPA
NPA
Prison reform coordinator,
UK Overseas Territories
US Bureau of Justice Statistics

30/6/99
6/99
12/01
1/02
31/5/99
30/6/99
6/7/01
/99
30/6/99
30/6/99
28/11/99
/00

36.23m
8.14m
175.0m
15.4m
37.28m
12.41m
861,000
5.48m
25.62m
442,000
3.26m
24.2m

107
102
133
205
153
69
175
75
107
437
123
62

ILANUD, from NPA and others
ILANUD, from NPA and others
NPA
NPA
ILANUD, from NPA and others
ILANUD, from NPA
NPA
ILANUD, from NPA
ILANUD, from NPA
ILANUD, from NPA and others
ILANUD, from NPA and others
United Nations 7th Survey

1/5/02

194,000

274

French Ministry of Justice

1,097
8,526
6,914
8,460
10,869
154,765
7,198
8,290

Caribbean
Antigua & Barbuda 186
Bahamas
1,280
Barbados
850
Cuba
c.33,000
Dominica
298
Dominican Republic 15,340
Grenada
297
Haiti
4,152
Jamaica
4,288
St Kitts & Nevis
135
St Lucia
365
St Vincent &
Grenadines
302
Trinidad & Tobago 4,794
Aruba (Netherlands) 223
Cayman Islands (UK) 243
Guadeloupe (France) 599
Martinique (France) 666
Neth.Antilles
(Netherlands)
780
Puerto Rico (US) 15,105
Virgin Islands (UK)
43
Virgin Islands (US)

494

South America
Argentina
38,604
Bolivia
8,315
Brazil
233,859
Chile
31,600
Colombia
57,068
Ecuador
8,520
Guyana
1,507
Paraguay
4,088
Peru
27,452
Suriname
1,933
Uruguay
4,012
Venezuela
15,107
French Guiana/
Guyane (France)
532

NPA
NPA
Criminal justice expert, Barbados
Nils Christie, Oslo University
ILANUD, from NPA
NPA
NPA
ILANUD, from NPA and others
ILANUD, from NPA and others
ILANUD, from NPA
ILANUD, from NPA

3

Findings 188

Table 3 ASIA
Prison population total
(no. in penal institutions
incl. pre-trial detainees)
Western Asia
Bahrain
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
United Arab
Emirates
Yemen

911
9,421
5,448
1,735
8,285
2,020
570
23,720
14,000
c.6,000
14,000 *

Date

Estimated
national
population

31/12/97
1/00
2/02
/97
1/02
/00
/00
/00
/97

589,000
6.15m
5.1m
1.7m
3.6m
2.5m
599,000
21.6m
15.0m

12/98
/98

2.4m
16.9m

Prison population
rate (per 100,000 of
national population)

Source of
prison population
total

155
153
107
102
230
81
95
110
93

United Nations 6th Survey
NPA
PRI
Conference paper, January 1998
PRI
United Nations 7th Survey
United Nations 7th Survey
United Nations 7th Survey
Conference paper, January 1998

c.250
83 *

Criminal justice experts in U.A.E
PRI Newsletter 33, 1998

*(government managed prisons only)

Central Asia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan

84,000
19,500
c.11,000
c.22,000
65,000

South Central Asia
Bangladesh
c.70,000
India
281,380
Iran
163,526
Maldive Is.
1,098 *

30/4/01
3/02
5/01
10/00
3/02

16.1m
5.0m
6.3m
4.5m
25.3m

3/01
/99
4/02
/96

129.2m
998.1m
71.4m
265,000

522
390
c.175
c.489
257
c.54
28
229
414 *

Ministry of Justice, Kazakhstan
NPA
BBC, from Uzbek Radio, Tashkent
BBC, from Interfax
NPA
Criminal justice expert, Bangladesh
National Crime Records Bureau
NPA
Ministry of Justice, Maldive Islands

*(sentenced prisoners only)

Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
South Eastern Asia
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
Indonesia
Malaysia
Myanmar (Burma)
Philippines
Singapore

5,878
78,938
19,085

/99
31/12/99
mid-01

23.4m
154.4m
19.1m

401
6,179
62,886
27,299
53,195
70,383
14,704 *

mid-01
mid-01
mid-01
mid-01
31/12/93
/99
mid-01

335,000
13.4m
214.8m
22.6m
45.0m
74.5m
4.1m

25
51
100

UNAFEI, from crim. just. expert, Nepal
UNAFEI, from crim. just. expert, Pak’n
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference

120
46
29
121
118
94
359 *

NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
UN enquiry (A/CN.15/1996/16/Add.1)
UNAFEI, from crim. just. expert, Phil’s
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference

*(does not include those in drug rehabilitation centres run by the Singapore Prison Service)

Thailand
Vietnam

217,697
55,000

mid-01
mid-98

Eastern Asia
China

1,428,126 *

mid-01

63.6m
77.6m
1,285.0m

342
71

NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference

111 *

NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference

*(sentenced prisoners only)

Japan
61,242
Korea (Republic of) 62,732
Mongolia
6,656 *

mid-01
mid-01
mid-01

127.3m
47.1m
2.6m

48
133
256 *

NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference

*(sentenced prisoners only)

Taiwan
56,225
Hong Kong (China) 12,238
Macau (China)
855
(No information

11/01
30/9/01
mid-01

22.5m
7.0m
440,000

250
175
194

Ministry of Justice
NPA
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference

Western Asia: Iraq. South Central Asia: Afghanistan, Bhutan.
South Eastern Asia: Laos, Timor-Leste (East Timor).
Eastern Asia: Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea.)

4

Findings 188
Table 4 EUROPE
Prison population total
(no. in penal institutions
incl. pre-trial detainees)
Northern Europe
Denmark
3,150
Estonia
4,723
Finland
3,040
Iceland
110
Ireland
3,378
Latvia
8,486
Lithuania
11,216
Norway
2,666
Sweden
6,089
United Kingdom
– England & Wales 72,669
– Northern Ireland 1,058
– Scotland
6,417
Faeroe Is. (Denmark)
9
Guernsey (UK)
88
Jersey (UK)
136
Isle of Man (UK)
92
Southern Europe
Albania
3,053
Andorra
48
Bosnia & Herzegovina
– Federation
1,372
– Republika Srpska
876
Croatia
2,584
Greece
8,343
Italy*
55,136

Date

Estimated
national
population

Prison population
rate (per 100,000 of
national population)

Source of
prison population
total

1/9/01
1/11/01
1/9/01
1/9/01
10/4/02
14/10/02
1/11/01
1/9/01
1/10/01

5.36m
1.4m
5.19m
286,000
3.92m
2.35m
3.7m
4.5m
8.9m

59
337
59
38
86
361
303
59
68

C of E Annual Penal Statistics
Ministry of Justice, Estonia
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
NPA
NPA
NPA, C of E steering group
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
C of E Annual Penal Statistics

25/10/02
28/10/02
25/10/02
/00
9/10/02
14/10/02
25/10/02

52.43m
1.72m
5.08m
43,000
60,100
87,200
76,300

139
62
126
21
146
156
121

NPA
NPA
NPA
Danish NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA

11/01
1/9/01

3.4m
66,300

90
72

NPA
C of E Annual Penal Statistics

31/7/02
31/5/02
31/12/01
1/9/01
1/9/01

2.5m
1.3m
4.38m
10.6m
57.95m

55
67
59
79
95

Ministry of Justice, Federation of B+H
Ministry of Justice, B+H Rep. Srpska
NPA
Ministry of Justice, Greece
C of E Annual Penal Statistics

*(by agreement with Italy, persons imprisoned by San Marino and Vatican City are held in Italian prisons.)

Macedonia (F Yug Rep) 1,413
1/9/01
2.02m
70
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
Malta
257
1/9/01 384,000
67
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
Portugal
13,384
15/2/02
10.25m
131
NPA
Slovenia
1,120
1/9/02
2.0m
56
NPA
Spain
50,656
31/5/02
40.2m
126
NPA
Yugoslavia – Serbia 5,566
6/01
10.0m
56
NPA
– Montenegro
710
25/4/02 680,000
104
NPA
– Kosovo
521
5/01
1.9m
27
Criminal justice expert, Kosovo
Gibraltar (UK)
19
13/9/01
30,800
62
NPA
Western Europe
Austria
6,915
1/9/01
8.13m
85
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
Belgium
8,764
1/9/01
10.28m
85
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
France
50,714 *
1/5/02
59.4m *
85
French Ministry of Justice
* (metropolitan France, excluding departments and territories in Africa, the Americas and Oceania)
Germany
78,707
30/11/00
82.19m
96
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
Liechtenstein
24
30/6/99
32,000
75
President of Crim. Court, Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
357
1/9/01 444,000
80
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
Monaco
13
10/98
33,000
39
Information from Pierre Tournier
Netherlands
14,968
1/9/01
16.05m
93
NPA
Switzerland
4,985
4/9/02
7.23m
69
Swiss Federal Statistical Office
Europe/Asia
Armenia
7,428
1/1/01
3.5m
212
PRI Newsletter 44, 2001
Azerbaijan
23,504
31/12/00
8.1m
290
United Nations 7th Survey
Cyprus
369 *
1/9/01 661,000 *
56
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
* (does not include the internationally unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Including TRNC
the population of Cyprus is estimated at about 760,000 in 2001, plus about 100,000 Turkish settlers.)

Georgia
7,688
Russian Federation 919,330
Turkey
61,336

5

1/1/02
1/9/02
1/9/01

3.9m
144.0m
66.0m

196
638
93

NPA
NPA
C of E Annual Penal Statistics

Findings 188
Table 4 cont. EUROPE
Central and Eastern
Belarus
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Hungary
Moldova

Europe
56,000
9,283
19,320
17,890
10,633 *

5/01
1/9/01
31/12/01
9/5/02
1/1/02

10.1m
8.13m
10.25m
10.0m
3.7m *

554
114
188
179
287

Nils Christie, from NPA
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
NPA
NPA
NPA

*(does not include the internationally unrecognised Transdniestria. Including Transdniestria
the national population of Moldova is estimated at 4.3 millions.)

Poland
Romania
Slovakia
Ukraine

82,173
51,528
7,509
198,885

24/4/02
1/6/02
1/9/01
1/9/01

38.63m
22.4m
5.4m
49.0m

213
230
139
406

NPA
NPA
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
C of E Annual Penal Statistics

Table 5 OCEANIA
Prison population total
(no. in penal institutions
incl. pre-trial detainees)
Australia
22,458
Fiji
1,102
Kiribati
63
Marshall Is.
23
Micronesia,
Fed States of
39
New Zealand
5,980
Papua New Guinea 3,296
Samoa
176
Solomon Is.
134
Tonga
113
Tuvalu
6
Vanuatu
46
American Samoa (US) 155
Cook Is. (NZ)
33
French Polynesia
(France)
265
Guam (US)
585
New Caledonia
(France)
299
Northern
Mariana Is. (US)
102
(No information

Date

Estimated
national
population

Prison population
rate (per 100,000 of
national population)

Source of
prison population
total

30/6/01
mid-01
mid-01
/94

19.3m
823,000
85,000
52,000

116
134
74
44

Australian Bureau of Statistics
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
United Nations 5th Survey

/97
29/6/01
mid-01
mid-98
mid-99
6/02
mid-00
mid-99
31/12/01
mid-01

114,000
3.8m
4.9m
174,000
430,000
104,000
10,800
183,000
67,000
20,000

34
157
67
101
31
109
56
25
231
165

F S Micronesia Statistical Yearbook
NPA
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
David Biles, report on prison system
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
US Bureau of Justice Statistics
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference

1/5/02
31/12/01

239,000
157,600

111
371

French Ministry of Justice
US Bureau of Justice Statistics

1/5/02

215,000

139

French Ministry of Justice

31/12/01

74,600

137

US Bureau of Justice Statistics

Nauru, Palau.)

Continued from page 1.
The List has a number of weaknesses. It lacks information on
17 independent countries and figures do not relate to the
same date. Comparability is further compromised by
different practice in different countries, for example with
regard to whether all pre-trial detainees and juveniles are
held under the authority of the prison administration, and
also whether the prison administration is responsible for
psychiatrically ill offenders and offenders being detained for
treatment for alcoholism. People held in custody are usually
omitted from national totals if they are not under the authority
of the prison administration.

Despite its limitations it is hoped that the World Prison
Population List will be found useful by academic
criminologists who are studying the use of imprisonment
world-wide and by non-governmental organisations who
are interested in variations in criminal justice practice. The
data – for all its imperfections – may prompt fresh thought
among policy makers and other criminal justice experts
about the size of the prison population in their country, given
the huge costs and disputed efficacy of imprisonment.

Roy Walmsley is a consultant to HEUNI (the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated to the
United Nations) and an Associate of the International Centre for Prison Studies (King’s College London). At ICPS he
is research director of World Prison Brief Online, a comprehensive database of information on the prison systems of
the world, which is available free of charge at www.prisonstudies.org

6