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Current Worldwide Female Prison Population

In excess of 733,000 women and girls are currently held in penal institutions globally, as reported by latest analyses. This statistic includes both pre-trial detainees and individuals already found guilty and punished. Analysts suggest the actual total is much greater due to unavailable statistics from numerous states.

Female inmates generally account for a small minority of correctional system demographics – typically between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls account for approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. Nonetheless, their numbers are increasing at a quicker pace than male prisoners.

From the millennium onward, the female prison population in prison has grown by nearly 60% – nearly thrice the increase observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The worldwide women inmate count rose by over 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Rise

Women's lawbreaking are frequently associated with economic hardship and typically represent a method of sustenance to care for their dependents.

Extensive studies has found that regulations typically outlaw 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 primarily impact women. The probability of getting a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the failure to afford fines for minor crimes or to arrange temporary freedom.

Countries with the Largest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The United States has the largest number of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an unknown number of women and girls in awaiting trial custody and "bureaucratic confinement. 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. Estimates suggest 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, representing approximately 8% of its total prison population.

States with Significant Increases 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 remains indicative of a significant growth. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced increases exceeding 600%, while these countries have seen growth exceeding 500%.

Women on Death Row

Current calculations 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 similarly the nations that carry out the most capital punishments in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. According to latest reports, an undetermined count of women were executed in China, while two were executed in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

Incomplete statistics is available for nations with highest execution rates or for others such as North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nonetheless, analysis is obtainable concerning 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females on death row.

The main offenses for which women are sentenced to death are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with compulsory capital punishment for murder, or that refuse to consider gender-based violence as lessening conditions, are inclined to display higher numbers of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Moreover, countries that strictly prohibit drug trafficking, such as those in the Arabian Peninsula and southeast Asia, have a substantial ratio of women on death row.

Suitability of Imprisonment for Women

Numerous specialists and activists maintain 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 often encounter a "repetitive cycle of brief incarceration periods – insufficiently long to participate 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, according to the WHO.

In reaction to growing statistics of incarcerated women and a lack of standards 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 require nations to establish non-imprisonment penalties and to ensure gender-sensitive treatment in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

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

Apart from the clear division and related distress that a prison sentence can cause, it is frequent for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a limited duration in prison.

Many countries allow for babies and young children to live in incarceration centers with their mothers up to a specific age. However, a childhood spent in prison can damage a child both physically and emotionally.