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Current Worldwide Female Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are currently held in prison systems internationally, according to latest analyses. This figure covers both remand prisoners and those who have been found guilty and punished. Experts believe the actual total is substantially larger due to incomplete data from numerous nations.

Women consistently represent a limited percentage of correctional system demographics – typically between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls account for approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. However, their population is growing at a quicker pace than incarcerated men.

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 global female prison population grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the ten-year interval ending in 2020.

Main Causes Behind the Growth

Offenses committed by women are frequently connected to financial deprivation and typically represent a method of sustenance to support their children and relatives.

Extensive studies has found that legislation frequently penalizes acts of survival and that women are disproportionately affected because they are disproportionately represented among the most impoverished segments of society. In numerous countries, laws criminalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution primarily impact women. The chance of being given a prison sentence is typically associated with poverty and the lack of resources for fines for petty offenses or to obtain release.

States with the Largest Female Prison Populations

The United States has the highest count of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an unknown number of women and girls in remand imprisonment and "procedural custody. 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 England and Wales, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the total prison population. Forecasts show 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 complete incarceration numbers.

Countries with Substantial Rises in Female Prison Populations

Despite considering typical population expansion over the last quarter-century, the increase in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a remarkable increase. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced over six times growth, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen growth exceeding 500%.

Female Capital Punishment Cases

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

The countries that execute the most women are likewise the states that perform the highest number of executions in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on recent documentation, an undetermined count of women were given capital punishment in China, while two faced execution 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 additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. However, analysis is obtainable concerning 15 other countries with the largest quantities of women on death row.

The principal violations for which women are sentenced to death are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with mandatory death penalties for murder, or that do not recognize gender-based violence as lessening conditions, are inclined to display higher numbers of women on death row and more executions.

Furthermore, countries that strictly prohibit drug trafficking, such as those in the Middle East and southeast Asia, have a significant percentage of women on death row.

Fitness of Imprisonment for Women

Numerous specialists and advocates argue that prison is unsuitable sanction for a large number of women who violate regulations. The majority are imprisoned for non-violent crimes; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women often encounter a "revolving door" of limited imprisonment terms – 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 wider community, as reported by the World Health Organization.

In reaction to rising numbers of imprisoned females and a absence of guidelines addressing their requirements, the International Women Prisoner Standards (known as the Bangkok Rules) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules require nations to develop non-custodial sanctions and to provide women-specific consideration in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An calculated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, usually their mother, while a much larger quantity are separated from them. 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 frequent 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 specific age. Nonetheless, a youth experienced in incarceration can damage a child both bodily and psychologically.