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Current Global Women Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are detained in correctional facilities globally, according to current analyses. This figure covers both remand prisoners and those who have been convicted and sentenced. Analysts suggest the actual total is much greater due to incomplete data from several nations.

Females typically constitute a limited percentage of overall inmate numbers – commonly between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the world's incarcerated individuals. Nonetheless, their population is growing at a quicker pace than male prisoners.

Since the year 2000, the female prison population in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – almost three times the growth observed in the male inmate numbers. The global female prison population increased by more than 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Increase

Female criminal activities are often connected to financial deprivation and often constitute a means of survival to provide for their families.

Extensive studies has established that regulations typically outlaw basic sustenance activities and that women are unfairly targeted because they are over-represented among the most impoverished segments of society. In numerous countries, laws criminalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution almost exclusively affect women. The likelihood of receiving a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the failure to afford fines for minor crimes or to secure bail.

Countries with the Greatest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The United States has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an unknown number of women and girls in remand imprisonment and "administrative detention". 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 England and Wales, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the total prison population. Forecasts show these numbers are predicted to increase to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are currently detained, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, representing approximately 8% of its complete incarceration numbers.

States with Major Growth in Female Prison Populations

Although including 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 significant growth. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced increases exceeding 600%, while Turkey and Indonesia 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 nations that put to death the most women are similarly the nations that carry out the most capital punishments in general, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. According to current records, an undetermined count of women were given capital punishment in China, while two received death sentences in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

No accurate data is available for nations with highest execution rates or for others such as North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is obtainable concerning 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females on death row.

The principal violations for which women are given capital punishment are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with mandatory death penalties for murder, or that fail to acknowledge gender-based violence as lessening conditions, are more likely to have greater amounts of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Additionally, countries that strictly prohibit drug trafficking, such as those in the Arabian Peninsula and Asian southeast, have a significant percentage of women on death row.

Fitness of Imprisonment for Women

Various professionals and advocates contend that prison is inappropriate penalty for a significant portion of women who break the law. Most are incarcerated for non-aggressive offenses; in the UK, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fit this category. Women commonly face a "cyclical pattern of short prison sentences – inadequate duration to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Approximately 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 wider community, according to the World Health Organization.

In answer to growing statistics of jailed women and a lack of standards addressing their requirements, the International Women Prisoner Standards (known as the Bangkok Rules) were accepted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules mandate countries to create alternative punishments and to provide women-specific consideration in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An estimated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, usually their mother, while a much larger quantity are apart from their mothers. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a mother in prison.

Besides the evident parting and connected hardship 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.

Numerous nations make provision for babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a particular maturity level. However, a early life in correctional facilities can negatively affect a minor both in health and mental state.