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Current Global Women Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are detained in penal institutions worldwide, as reported by recent investigations. This number covers both remand prisoners and individuals already found guilty and punished. Experts believe the actual total is much greater due to unavailable statistics from numerous states.

Female inmates generally account for a limited percentage of overall inmate numbers – usually between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the international inmate count. However, their population is growing at a faster rate than male inmates.

Over the past two decades, the number of women and girls in prison has increased by almost three-fifths – almost three times the increase observed in the male inmate numbers. The global female prison population grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Main Causes Behind the Increase

Female criminal activities are commonly associated with economic hardship and typically represent a means of survival to provide for their families.

Detailed analysis has established that laws often criminalize basic sustenance activities and that women are unequally impacted because they are more commonly found among the lowest economic brackets of society. In various countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution disproportionately target women. The probability of getting a prison sentence is frequently connected with poverty and the lack of resources for fines for small infractions or to arrange temporary freedom.

Countries with the Highest Women Inmate Numbers

The United States has the largest number of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an undetermined count of women and girls in awaiting trial custody and "procedural custody. 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 the UK, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the complete incarceration statistics. Projections indicate 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, constituting approximately 8% of its total prison population.

States with Major Growth in Women Inmate Numbers

Although including 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 significant growth. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced over six times growth, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen increases over five times.

Incarcerated Women Facing Execution

Present approximations 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 similarly the nations that execute the most people in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. According to recent documentation, an unknown number of women were executed in China, while two received death sentences 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 additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. However, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females on death row.

The two primary crimes for which women are given capital punishment are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that fail to acknowledge gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are inclined to display increased quantities of women on death row and more executions.

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

Appropriateness of Prison for Women

Numerous specialists and advocates contend that prison is not a suitable punishment for a significant portion of women who violate regulations. The majority are imprisoned for peaceful violations; in the UK, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fit this category. Women often encounter a "cyclical pattern of short prison sentences – insufficiently long to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 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 overall public, as reported by the World Health Organization.

In answer to rising numbers of imprisoned females and a lack of standards considering their circumstances, 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.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An approximated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, usually their mother, while significantly more children are apart from their mothers. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a incarcerated mother.

Besides the evident parting 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.

Numerous nations allow for babies and young children to stay in prison with their mothers up to a certain age. However, a youth experienced in incarceration can harm a young person both bodily and psychologically.