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Current Worldwide Women Prison Population

In excess of 733,000 women and girls are detained in prison systems worldwide, as reported by latest research studies. This figure encompasses both awaiting trial prisoners and those who have been found guilty and punished. Researchers estimate the actual total is much greater due to missing information from numerous countries.

Female inmates generally account for a limited percentage of overall inmate numbers – typically between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the world's incarcerated individuals. Nonetheless, their population is growing at a faster rate than incarcerated men.

From the millennium onward, the number of women and girls in prison has grown by nearly 60% – roughly triple the rise observed in the male prison population. The global female prison population rose by over 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Primary Drivers Behind the Increase

Female criminal activities are frequently associated with economic hardship and usually serve as a way to support themselves to provide for their families.

Extensive studies has found that regulations typically outlaw essential livelihood measures and that women are unequally impacted because they are disproportionately represented among the poorest sectors of society. In various countries, laws criminalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution disproportionately target 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 Female Prison Populations

The America has the largest number of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an uncertain quantity of women and girls in remand imprisonment 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 England and Wales, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the complete incarceration statistics. Forecasts show these numbers are anticipated to grow 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 Major Growth in Female Prison Populations

Although including typical population expansion over the past 25 years, the rise in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a substantial rise. These two nations have experienced increases exceeding 600%, 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 perform the highest number of executions in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. According to recent documentation, an uncertain quantity of women were given capital punishment 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 additional countries including North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nevertheless, analysis is accessible regarding 15 other countries with the highest numbers of females 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 fail to acknowledge gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are inclined to display increased quantities of women on death row and additional capital punishments.

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

Fitness of Incarceration for Females

Numerous specialists and campaigners argue that prison is unsuitable sanction for a substantial percentage of women who commit crimes. Many are jailed 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 "cyclical pattern of short prison sentences – too brief to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Approximately 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 overall public, based on the World Health Organization.

In response to increasing figures of imprisoned females and a deficiency of regulations considering their circumstances, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules mandate countries to create alternative punishments and to ensure gender-sensitive treatment in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An approximated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, most often their mother, while a much larger quantity are apart from their mothers. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a imprisoned parent.

In addition to the clear division 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.

Various states permit babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a certain age. Nonetheless, a childhood spent in prison can damage a child both bodily and psychologically.