🔗 Share this article

Current Worldwide Women Prison Population

More than 733,000 women and girls are currently held in penal institutions worldwide, as reported by latest investigations. This number encompasses both remand prisoners and individuals already convicted and sentenced. Analysts suggest the actual total is significantly higher due to missing information from multiple nations.

Women consistently represent a small minority of national prison populations – typically between 2-9% on average. As of now, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the world's incarcerated individuals. Nevertheless, their figures are rising at a quicker pace than male prisoners.

From the millennium onward, the number of women and girls in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – roughly triple the increase observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The worldwide women inmate count grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Increase

Female criminal activities are frequently linked to poverty and often constitute a way to support themselves to provide for their families.

Comprehensive research has determined that laws often criminalize essential livelihood measures and that women are unfairly targeted because they are over-represented among the most impoverished segments of society. In various countries, laws penalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution primarily impact women. The probability of getting a prison sentence is frequently connected with poverty and the lack of resources for fines for petty offenses or to arrange temporary freedom.

States with the Highest Women Inmate Numbers

The United States has the largest number of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second 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 Britain, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the overall inmate count. Projections indicate 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 complete incarceration numbers.

States with Major Growth in Women Inmate Numbers

Despite considering normal population growth over the last quarter-century, the increase in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a remarkable increase. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced increases exceeding 600%, while these countries have seen growth exceeding 500%.

Women on Death Row

Present approximations 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, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on recent documentation, an undetermined count of women were put to death in China, while two were executed 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 others such as North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nonetheless, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the largest quantities of women on death row.

The two primary crimes for which women are given capital punishment are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with mandatory death penalties for murder, or that do not recognize gender-based violence as lessening conditions, are prone to exhibit increased quantities of women on death row and additional capital punishments.

Additionally, countries that harshly penalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Arabian Peninsula and Asian southeast, have a significant percentage of women on death row.

Suitability of Incarceration for Females

Numerous specialists and campaigners contend that prison is unsuitable sanction for a large number of women who commit crimes. Many are jailed for non-aggressive offenses; in Britain, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women often encounter a "revolving door" of limited imprisonment terms – too brief to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 80% of women in prison worldwide have an diagnosable psychological condition. In Europe, suicide rates 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 absence of guidelines 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 require nations to create alternative punishments and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An estimated 19,000 children reside in correctional facilities with a parent, most often their mother, while a much larger quantity are apart from their mothers. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a mother in prison.

Besides the obvious separation and associated suffering that a prison sentence can cause, it is frequent for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a limited duration in prison.

Numerous nations 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 harm a young person both in health and mental state.