Global Distribution of Over 8.6 Million Prisoners Across 45 Countries
- Distribution of over 8.6 million prisoners in 45 countries with the highest number of prisoners.
The number of people, both innocent and guilty in prison in the top 45 countries with more prisoners is 8,682,518. This number is bigger than so many nations across the world, yet these human resources have been declared a misfit for society and have to be kept away from enjoying their freedom of movement to keep the rest of the world safe.
The distribution of over 8.6 million prisons in 45 countries with the highest number of prisoners has the United States and China leading the league table with huge numbers.
In 2023, the population of the US was 331,900,000. Its 1,767,200 prisoners as a percentage of the population is 0.53% of the population. China, on the other hand, has a whopping 1,425,900,000 population and 1,690,000 prisoners, which amounts to 0.12% of the population.
The population of China is approximately 4.3 times larger than that of the United States (1,425,900,000 / 331,900,000 ≈ 4.3).
The United States has a higher percentage of its population in prison compared to China:
- United States: 0.53%
- China: 0.12%
Thus, in percentage terms, the United States has about 4.4 times more prisoners relative to its population than China does.
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The third spot is for Brazil. Its population is 214,300,000 but its prisoners make up up to 0.39% of the population, or, in real terms, 835,643 prisoners.
Table with the population figures and the percentage of people in prison for each country
The table presents the number of people currently in prison in various countries around the world. The data highlights significant disparities in incarceration rates, with the United States and China having the highest numbers of people in prison, while smaller countries like Monaco and Liechtenstein have very few prisoners.
The data could mean that there are more crimes committed in the United States than anywhere else in the world since the proportion of the US population in prison is way higher than in others, including China.
8.6 Million Prisoners Across 45 countries
| Country | Pop in (2023) | No. in Prison | % in Prison |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 331,900,000 | 1,767,200 | 0.53% |
| China | 1,425,900,000 | 1,690,000 | 0.12% |
| Brazil | 214,300,000 | 835,643 | 0.39% |
| India | 1,408,000,000 | 554,034 | 0.04% |
| Russia | 143,400,000 | 433,006 | 0.30% |
| Turkey | 85,340,000 | 336,315 | 0.39% |
| Indonesia | 276,400,000 | 275,518 | 0.10% |
| Thailand | 71,750,000 | 262,319 | 0.37% |
| Mexico | 126,700,000 | 232,230 | 0.18% |
| Iran | 88,550,000 | 189,000 | 0.21% |
| South Africa | 60,140,000 | 151,755 | 0.25% |
| Egypt | 109,300,000 | 120,000 | 0.11% |
| Argentina | 46,200,000 | 114,074 | 0.25% |
| Pakistan | 231,400,000 | 87,712 | 0.04% |
| Bangladesh | 172,300,000 | 81,156 | 0.05% |
| Poland | 37,950,000 | 78,102 | 0.21% |
| Nigeria | 223,800,000 | 77,684 | 0.03% |
| France | 65,630,000 | 73,080 | 0.11% |
| Saudi Arabia | 35,950,000 | 68,056 | 0.19% |
| Venezuela | 28,200,000 | 67,200 | 0.24% |
| Italy | 59,030,000 | 57,320 | 0.10% |
| Germany | 84,270,000 | 56,557 | 0.07% |
| Spain | 47,350,000 | 55,095 | 0.12% |
| South Korea | 51,780,000 | 52,940 | 0.10% |
| Japan | 124,600,000 | 45,714 | 0.04% |
| Australia | 26,180,000 | 41,155 | 0.16% |
| Canada | 39,330,000 | 32,261 | 0.08% |
| Israel | 9,730,000 | 14,961 | 0.15% |
| Portugal | 10,270,000 | 12,623 | 0.12% |
| Netherlands | 17,570,000 | 11,447 | 0.07% |
| Belgium | 11,780,000 | 11,326 | 0.10% |
| Greece | 10,310,000 | 10,723 | 0.10% |
| UAE | 9,890,000 | 9,862 | 0.10% |
| Singapore | 5,850,000 | 9,536 | 0.16% |
| Austria | 8,960,000 | 8,798 | 0.10% |
| Sweden | 10,350,000 | 7,713 | 0.07% |
| Switzerland | 8,670,000 | 6,445 | 0.07% |
| Denmark | 5,870,000 | 4,248 | 0.07% |
| Norway | 5,490,000 | 2,975 | 0.05% |
| Finland | 5,540,000 | 2,827 | 0.05% |
| Luxembourg | 660,000 | 685 | 0.10% |
| Seychelles | 100,000 | 362 | 0.36% |
| Monaco | 39,000 | 14 | 0.04% |
| Liechtenstein | 39,000 | 12 | 0.03% |
| Vatican | 800 | 0 | 0.00% |
Explanation of the Data
The table now includes the population of each country and the percentage of the population that is in prison. This provides a clearer picture of the extent of incarceration relative to the country’s population size. For instance, while the United States has the largest absolute number of people in prison, the percentage of the population in prison (0.53%) is also relatively high compared to other countries. This percentage helps to understand the scale of incarceration in different countries relative to their population size.
