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Current Worldwide Women Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are currently held in correctional facilities globally, according to latest analyses. This figure encompasses both remand prisoners and individuals already convicted and sentenced. Experts believe the real number is significantly higher due to incomplete data from numerous countries.

Female inmates generally account for a minor proportion of national prison populations – commonly between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls account for approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. Nevertheless, their population is growing at a quicker pace than male inmates.

Since the year 2000, the number of women and girls in prison has increased by almost three-fifths – almost three times the increase observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The global female prison population increased by more than 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Growth

Offenses committed by women are often linked to poverty and typically represent a way to support themselves to care for their dependents.

Extensive studies has found that laws often criminalize acts of survival and that women are unequally impacted because they are disproportionately represented among the poorest sectors of society. In various countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution primarily impact women. The likelihood of receiving a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the failure to afford fines for small infractions or to secure bail.

Countries with the Largest Female Prison Populations

The America has the largest number of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an undetermined count of women and girls in pre-trial detention and "bureaucratic confinement. Other significant 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 complete incarceration statistics. Forecasts show these numbers are anticipated to grow to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are currently imprisoned, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, amounting to approximately 8% of its total prison population.

Nations with Major Growth in Female Prison Populations

Even accounting for standard demographic increases over the last quarter-century, the increase in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a significant growth. These two nations have experienced more than sixfold increases, while Turkey and Indonesia have seen more than fivefold rises.

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 execute the most people in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on current records, 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 states with most frequent capital punishment or for nations like North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nonetheless, analysis is obtainable concerning 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females on death row.

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

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

Appropriateness of Imprisonment for Women

Numerous specialists and campaigners contend that prison is not a suitable punishment for a significant portion of women who violate regulations. The majority are imprisoned for non-aggressive offenses; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fit this category. Women commonly face a "revolving door" of brief incarceration periods – insufficiently long 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, according to the World Health Organization.

In response to increasing figures of imprisoned females and a lack of standards addressing their requirements, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules require nations to create alternative punishments and to provide women-specific consideration in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An approximated 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 imprisoned parent.

Besides the clear division and related distress that a prison sentence can cause, it is not uncommon for a woman to forfeit parental rights of her children after just a short time in prison.

Various states allow for babies and young children to live in incarceration centers with their mothers up to a specific age. Nonetheless, a childhood spent in prison can damage a child both in health and mental state.