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Present Global Female Prison Inmates

More than 733,000 women and girls are confined in penal institutions worldwide, based on recent analyses. This number covers both remand prisoners and individuals already found guilty and punished. Analysts suggest the real number is significantly higher due to incomplete data from numerous countries.

Female inmates generally account for a limited percentage of national prison populations – commonly between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls represent approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. Nevertheless, their population is growing at a more rapid tempo than male prisoners.

From the millennium onward, the number of women and girls in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – nearly thrice the growth observed in the male inmate numbers. The worldwide women inmate count increased by more than 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Increase

Women's lawbreaking are commonly connected to financial deprivation and often constitute a way to support themselves to care for their dependents.

Comprehensive research has established that regulations typically outlaw basic sustenance activities and that women are unequally impacted because they are disproportionately represented among the poorest sectors of society. In various countries, laws penalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution disproportionately target women. The chance of being given a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the lack of resources for fines for small infractions or to secure bail.

States with the Highest Female Prison Populations

The US has the highest count of female prisoners with 174,607. China comes next with 145,000, plus an undetermined count of women and girls in awaiting trial custody and "procedural custody. 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 anticipated to grow to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are currently detained, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, constituting approximately 8% of its overall inmate demographic.

Nations with Major Growth in Female Prison Populations

Although including typical population expansion over the past 25 years, the rise in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a remarkable increase. These two nations have experienced increases exceeding 600%, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen increases over five times.

Female Capital Punishment Cases

Current calculations 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 also the countries that execute the most people in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by current records, an undetermined count of women were put to death in China, while two faced execution 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. However, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the largest quantities of women on death row.

The main offenses 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 mitigating circumstances, are more likely to have increased quantities of women on death row and additional capital punishments.

Moreover, countries that harshly penalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Gulf region and southeast Asia, have a substantial ratio of women on death row.

Fitness of Incarceration for Females

Numerous specialists and advocates contend that prison is inappropriate penalty 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 belonged to this group. Women often encounter a "repetitive cycle of short prison sentences – inadequate duration to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Approximately 80% of women in prison worldwide have an recognizable psychiatric disorder. In Europe, self-destruction numbers for women in prison are nine times higher than for the general population, based on the WHO.

In reaction to rising numbers of imprisoned females and a absence of guidelines addressing their requirements, the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners (known as the Bangkok Rules) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules mandate countries to establish non-imprisonment penalties and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.

Kids with Imprisoned Mothers

An estimated 19,000 children reside in correctional facilities with a parent, typically their mother, while significantly more children are apart from their mothers. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a mother in prison.

Apart from the evident parting and associated suffering that a prison sentence can cause, it is frequent for a woman to forfeit parental rights of her children after just a brief period in prison.

Various states permit babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a certain age. However, a childhood spent in prison can damage a child both in health and mental state.