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Current Worldwide Female Prison Inmates

More than 733,000 women and girls are confined in correctional facilities globally, based on recent analyses. This figure includes both pre-trial detainees and individuals already found guilty and punished. Analysts suggest the real number is substantially larger due to incomplete data from numerous states.

Females typically constitute a small minority of overall inmate numbers – typically between 2-9% on average. As of now, women and girls represent approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. However, their numbers are increasing at a quicker pace than incarcerated men.

Since the year 2000, the number of women and girls in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – almost three times the rise observed in the male prison population. The international incarcerated women statistics grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Growth

Female criminal activities are commonly linked to poverty and often constitute a way to support themselves to support their children and relatives.

Detailed analysis has determined that legislation frequently penalizes essential livelihood measures and that women are disproportionately affected because they are over-represented among the most impoverished segments of society. In many countries, laws penalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution almost exclusively affect women. The chance of being given a prison sentence is typically associated with poverty and the inability to pay fines for small infractions or to arrange temporary freedom.

Nations with the Highest Women Inmate Numbers

The US has the greatest quantity 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 "administrative detention". Additional major sources 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. Forecasts show these numbers are expected to rise to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are presently incarcerated, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, constituting approximately 8% of its total prison population.

Nations with Substantial Rises in Female Prison Populations

Despite considering normal population growth over the previous two-and-a-half decades, the increase in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people remains indicative of a substantial rise. These two nations have experienced more than sixfold increases, while Indonesia and Turkey 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 states that carry out executions on the most women are also the countries that perform the highest number of executions in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on latest reports, an unknown number of women were given capital punishment in China, while two were executed in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

Unreliable information is available for countries that execute the most or for nations like North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females on death row.

The main offenses for which women are receiving execution orders are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that refuse to consider gender-based violence as reducing factors, are more likely to have greater amounts of women on death row and more executions.

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

Appropriateness of Incarceration for Females

Numerous specialists and advocates contend that prison is inappropriate penalty for a large number of women who violate regulations. Most are incarcerated for non-violent crimes; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women commonly face a "revolving door" 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 recognizable psychiatric disorder. In Europe, suicide rates for women in prison are nine times higher than for the general population, based on the WHO.

In response to rising numbers of imprisoned females and a deficiency of regulations 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 mandate countries to create alternative punishments and to ensure gender-sensitive treatment in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An approximated 19,000 children dwell in incarceration centers with a parent, usually their mother, while many times that number are separated from them. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a incarcerated mother.

In addition to the clear division and related distress that a prison sentence can cause, it is quite common for a woman to lose custody of her children after just a brief period in prison.

Various states make provision for babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a specific age. However, a early life in correctional facilities can harm a young person both physically and emotionally.