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Current Worldwide Female Prison Population

More than 733,000 women and girls are currently held in correctional facilities internationally, based on recent analyses. This figure covers both awaiting trial prisoners and those who have been convicted and sentenced. Analysts suggest the actual total is substantially larger due to incomplete data from multiple nations.

Females typically constitute a minor proportion of national prison populations – commonly between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. Nonetheless, their figures are rising at a quicker pace than male prisoners.

From the millennium onward, the female prison population in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – nearly thrice the growth observed in the male inmate numbers. The worldwide women inmate count rose by over 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Growth

Women's lawbreaking are frequently connected to financial deprivation and typically represent a means of survival to support their children and relatives.

Comprehensive research has established that regulations typically outlaw basic sustenance activities and that women are disproportionately affected because they are over-represented among the most impoverished segments of society. In numerous countries, laws penalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution almost exclusively affect women. The likelihood of receiving a prison sentence is typically associated with poverty and the lack of resources for fines for small infractions or to secure bail.

Countries with the Highest Female Prison Populations

The America has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an uncertain quantity of women and girls in pre-trial detention and "administrative detention". 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 the UK, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the overall inmate count. Estimates suggest these numbers are expected to rise 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 Significant Increases in Female Prison Populations

Despite considering typical population expansion over the previous two-and-a-half decades, the surge in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people remains indicative of a remarkable increase. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced more than sixfold increases, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen increases over five times.

Incarcerated Women Facing Execution

Current calculations indicate there are between 500 and 1,000 women on death row in at least 42 countries worldwide.

The states that carry out executions on the most women are similarly the nations that carry out the most capital punishments in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As reported by recent documentation, an unknown number of women were executed 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 nations with highest execution rates or for nations like North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the most women on death row.

The two primary crimes for which women are receiving execution orders are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with mandatory death penalties for murder, or that do not recognize gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are prone to exhibit increased quantities of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Furthermore, countries that harshly penalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Gulf region and Asian southeast, have a high proportion of women on death row.

Suitability of Prison for Women

Numerous specialists and activists maintain that prison is unsuitable sanction for a significant portion of women who break the law. Many are jailed for peaceful violations; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women often encounter a "repetitive cycle of short prison sentences – too brief to engage in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

As many as 80% of women in prison worldwide have an identifiable mental illness. In Europe, self-harm statistics for women in prison are nine times higher than for the general population, according to the WHO.

In reaction to rising numbers of jailed women and a absence of guidelines reflecting their needs, the International Women Prisoner Standards (known as the Bangkok Rules) were accepted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules require nations to establish non-imprisonment penalties and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An approximated 19,000 children dwell in incarceration centers with a parent, most often their mother, while significantly more children are divided from their parents. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a incarcerated mother.

Besides the clear division and associated suffering that a prison sentence can cause, it is not uncommon for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a brief period in prison.

Various states allow for babies and young children to stay in prison with their mothers up to a particular maturity level. Nevertheless, a youth experienced in incarceration can damage a child both in health and mental state.