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Present Global Women Prison Population

More than 733,000 women and girls are confined in penal institutions worldwide, as reported by current research studies. This number covers both awaiting trial prisoners and individuals already found guilty and punished. Analysts suggest the real number is much greater due to incomplete data from multiple nations.

Women consistently represent a limited percentage of national prison populations – commonly between 2-9% on average. As of now, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. Nonetheless, their population is growing at a faster rate than male inmates.

From the millennium onward, the female prison population in prison has grown by nearly 60% – almost three times the growth observed in the male inmate numbers. The worldwide women inmate count grew by exceeding 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Growth

Offenses committed by women are frequently associated with economic hardship and typically represent a method of sustenance to support their children and relatives.

Extensive studies has found that laws often criminalize essential livelihood measures and that women are unfairly targeted because they are more commonly found among the lowest economic brackets 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 inability to pay fines for petty offenses or to secure bail.

Countries with the Largest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The United States has the highest count 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. 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 the UK, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the total prison population. Forecasts show these numbers are expected to rise to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are currently imprisoned, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, representing approximately 8% of its total prison population.

Countries with Major Growth in Women Inmate Numbers

Although including standard demographic increases over the past 25 years, the surge in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a remarkable increase. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced over six times growth, while Turkey and Indonesia have seen growth exceeding 500%.

Incarcerated Women Facing Execution

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 likewise the states that perform the highest number of executions in general, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on current records, an unknown number of women were executed 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 countries that execute the most or for others such as North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, 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 required execution sentences for murder, or that do not recognize gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are more likely to have higher numbers of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Additionally, countries that strictly prohibit drug trafficking, such as those in the Gulf region and Asian southeast, have a substantial ratio of women on death row.

Suitability of Prison for Women

Many experts and campaigners contend that prison is not a suitable punishment for a large number of women who violate regulations. Many are jailed for non-aggressive offenses; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 belonged to this group. Women often encounter a "repetitive cycle of brief incarceration periods – inadequate duration to engage in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 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 general population, according to the WHO.

In response to growing statistics of incarcerated women and a absence of guidelines addressing their requirements, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules oblige states to develop non-custodial sanctions and to provide women-specific consideration in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An approximated 19,000 children dwell in incarceration centers with a parent, usually their mother, while a much larger quantity are divided from their parents. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a mother in prison.

In addition to the obvious separation and connected hardship 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 permit babies and young children to live in incarceration centers with their mothers up to a specific age. Nevertheless, a childhood spent in prison can damage a child both in health and mental state.