Worldwide Female Imprisonment Statistics and Death Row Figures
Present Worldwide Female Prison Population
More than 733,000 women and girls are currently held in correctional facilities worldwide, based on latest research studies. This statistic includes both awaiting trial prisoners and individuals already convicted and sentenced. Analysts suggest the real number is much greater due to missing information from numerous nations.
Females typically constitute a limited percentage of correctional system demographics – commonly between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. Nevertheless, their figures are rising at a more rapid tempo than male inmates.
Since the year 2000, the incarcerated females in prison has grown by nearly 60% – almost three times the increase observed in the male prison population. The global female prison population grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the ten-year interval ending in 2020.
Primary Drivers Behind the Rise
Female criminal activities are frequently linked to poverty and often constitute a method of sustenance to provide for their families.
Detailed analysis has found that regulations typically outlaw essential livelihood measures and that women are unequally impacted because they are over-represented among the most impoverished segments of society. In various countries, laws penalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution almost exclusively affect women. The chance of being given a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the inability to pay fines for petty offenses or to secure bail.
States with the Largest Incarcerated Women Statistics
The US has the highest count of female prisoners with 174,607. China comes next with 145,000, plus an uncertain quantity of women and girls in remand imprisonment 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 the UK, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the overall inmate count. Projections indicate 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, representing approximately 8% of its total prison population.
Nations with Substantial Rises in Female Prison Populations
Even accounting for normal population growth over the last quarter-century, the rise 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 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 similarly the nations that execute the most people in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on current records, an unknown number of women were put to death 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 additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. However, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the most women 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 fail to acknowledge gender-based violence as reducing factors, are prone to exhibit increased quantities of women on death row and more executions.
Furthermore, countries that harshly penalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Gulf region and Oriental southeast, have a significant percentage of women on death row.
Appropriateness of Prison for Women
Many experts and advocates argue that prison is not a suitable punishment for a large number of women who commit crimes. The majority are imprisoned for non-violent crimes; in the UK, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 belonged to this group. Women commonly face a "cyclical pattern of short prison sentences – insufficiently long 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 wider community, based on the World Health Organization.
In reaction to increasing figures of imprisoned females and a lack of standards addressing their requirements, the International Women Prisoner Standards (known as the Bangkok Rules) were approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules require nations to develop non-custodial sanctions and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.
Kids with Imprisoned Mothers
An estimated 19,000 children reside in correctional facilities 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.
In addition to the obvious separation and connected hardship that a prison sentence can cause, it is not uncommon for a woman to lose custody of her children after just a brief period in prison.
Many countries permit babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a particular maturity level. However, a childhood spent in prison can harm a young person both physically and emotionally.