World Female Imprisonment List
International Centre
for Prison Studies

(Women and girls in penal institutions, including pre-trial detainees/
remand prisoners)

Roy Walmsley
Key points

The World Female Imprisonment List shows
the number of women and girls held in penal
institutions, as pre-trial detainees (remand
prisoners) or having been convicted and
sentenced, in 187 prison systems in independent
countries and dependent territories. It also shows
the percentage of women and girls within each
national prison population. The information is the
latest available at the end of April 2006.

c	 More than half a million women and girls
are held in penal institutions throughout the
world, either as pre-trial detainees (remand
prisoners) or having been convicted and
sentenced.
c	 About a third of these are in the United
States of America (183,400), and a
similar number are in China (71,280 plus
women and girls in pre-trial detention or
‘administrative detention’), the Russian
Federation (55,400) and Thailand (28,450).
No other country reports a female prison
population as high as 15,000, the next
highest being in India (13,350), Ukraine
(11,830), Brazil (11,000), Vietnam (10,990),
Mexico (10,070) and Philippines (6,860).
Every other prison system has fewer than
6,000.

The International Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS)
published in 2005 the sixth edition of the World
Prison Population List and plans to publish the
seventh edition before the end of 2006. The World
Female Imprisonment List is the first edition of
a similar publication focusing specifically on
female imprisonment. Both lists complement the
information which the ICPS already publishes and
updates monthly in the World Prison Brief section
of its website (www.prisonstudies.org).
The World Female Imprisonment List has been
compiled, like the World Prison Population List,
from a variety of sources. In almost all cases the
original source is the national prison administration
of the country concerned, or else the Ministry
responsible for the prison administration. Most of
the figures are recent and efforts are being made
to update them and to obtain information on the
number of female prisoners in the independent
countries and dependent territories on which
figures are not currently available; ICPS will
welcome the assistance of readers of the List in
enhancing its recency and comprehensiveness.
Care has been taken to ensure that the information
is as accurate as possible; sources are shown.
However ICPS cannot guarantee the reliability of
every figure and readers are also invited to draw
attention to any errors they notice and, if possible,
to supply corrections.

c	 Female prisoners generally (in about 80%
of prison systems) constitute between 2
and 9% of the total prison population. Just
twelve systems have a higher percentage
than that. The highest is in Hong KongChina (22%), followed by Myanmar (18%),
Thailand (17%), Kuwait (15%), Qatar and
Vietnam (both 12%), Ecuador, Netherlands
Antilles and Singapore (all 11%), Aruba
(Netherlands), Bermuda (UK) and Laos (all
10%) and Macau-China (9.2%). The median
level is 4.3%.
c	 There are continental variations in the
prevalence of women and girls within the
total prison population. In African countries
they constitute a much smaller percentage
of the total (the median is 2.65%) than in the
Americas and Asia where the median level is
twice as high (5.3% and 5.4% respectively).
The median levels in Europe and Oceania
are 4.4% and 4.3% respectively.

It is hoped that the World Female Imprisonment
List will be found useful by policy makers,
academic criminologists, non-governmental
organisations, other criminal justice experts and
everyone who is interested in the extent of female
imprisonment.



World Female Imprisonment List
Table 1: Africa
Female prison
population (number
of women and girls
in penal institutions)

Female prisoners
– percentage of
the total prison
population

Date

Source of
female prison
population
total

Northern Africa
Algeria
Egypt
Libya
Morocco
Sudan

610*
2,213*
387*
1,776*
c. 200*

31.12.01
31.12.02
31.7.04
31.12.02
3.03

1.8%*
4.3%*
3.3%*
3.3%*
c. 1.7%*

National prison administration
United Nations 8th Survey
National prison administration
Penal Reform International
National prison administration

Western Africa
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cape Verde
Cote d’Ivoire
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea (Rep. of)
Mali
Mauritania
Nigeria
Senegal
Togo

c. 140*
25*
38*
236*
6*
257*
61*
80*
10*
756*
183*
64*

23.8.99
01
12.99
8.3.02
6.99
11.11.05
mid-02
2.02
9.03
29.2.04
31.12.00
12.04

c. 3.6%*
1.0%*
5.0%*
2.3%*
1.2%*
2.1%*
2.0%*
2.0%*
2.7%*
1.9%*
3.7%*
4.0%*

National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
Ministry of the Interior
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
US State Dept. human rights report
National prison administration
National prison administration
US State Dept. human rights report

Central Africa
Angola
Chad
Dem. Repub. of Congo
Sao Tome e Principe

196**
21**
c. 83**
3**

4.4.03
mid-02
1.04
4.02

3.3%*
2.4%*
3.2%*
2.3%*

National prison administration
National prison administration
Criminal justice expert, DR Congo
National prison administration

Eastern Africa
Burundi
Kenya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Rwanda
Seychelles
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Mayotte (Fr)
Reunion (Fr)

216**
1,254**
650**
117**
137**
551**
2,925**
2**
1,515**
901**
380**
602**
2**
29**

mid-02
mid-02
03
13.9.05
23.8.05
31.12.99
mid-02
03
1.12.05
30.6.05
2.12.05
12.12.05
1.4.03
1.4.03

2.5%*
3.6%*
3.4%*
1.2%*
5.6%*
6.3%*
2.6%*
1.3%*
3.3%*
3.4%*
2.6%*
3.3%*
1.2%*
2.7%*

National prison administration
National prison administration
Ministry of Justice
National prison administration
National prison administration
UN Development Programme
National prison administration
US State Dept. human rights report
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
Ministry of Justice (France)
Ministry of Justice (France)

Southern Africa
Botswana
Lesotho
Namibia
South Africa
Swaziland

306**
73**
87**
3,219**
148**

3.12.04
18.8.05
31.12.01
31.12.05
31.12.02

5.0%*
2.5%*
1.8%*
2.0%*
4.6%*

National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration

Figures are not available for 15 African countries.
Northern Africa: Tunisia. Western Africa: Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone.
Central Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon.
Eastern Africa: Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia.
*	 The asterisked figures for Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania and Togo relate only to the main prison in the
capitals of these countries, and those for Egypt relate only to convicted prisoners.
**	The high female prison population in Rwanda is probably a result of the large number of persons held on suspicion of
participation in genocide.



World Female Imprisonment List
Table 2: Americas

North America
Canada
USA
Bermuda (UK)
Caribbean
Antigua & Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Grenada
Haiti
Jamaica
St Kitts & Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent & Grenadines
Trinidad & Tobago
Aruba (Neth)
Cayman Is (UK)
Guadeloupe (Fr)
Martinique (Fr)
Netherlands Antilles (Neth)
Central America
Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
South America
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
Fr. Guiana/ Guyane (Fr)

Female prison
population (number
of women and girls
in penal institutions)

Female prisoners
– percentage of
the total prison
population

Date

1,589*
183,400*
36*

2003/04
30.6.04
11.11.03

5.0%*
8.6%*
10.5%*

National prison administration
US Bureau of Justice Statistics
National prison administration

5*
23*
45*
1*
433*
2*
116*
231*
5*
8*
10*
108*
23*
16*
9*
12*
75*

21.4.06
10.02
11.11.03
6.10.05
28.4.04
22.2.05
03
8.12.05
31.12.05
8.03
19.4.06
1.5.06
21.1.05
17.12.04
1.4.03
1.4.03
2.02

2.8%*
1.8%*
4.5%*
0.3%*
3.1%*
0.8%*
3.3%*
4.8%*
2.4%*
1.7%*
2.7%*
2.8%*
10.0%*
8.6%*
1.3%*
1.9%*
11.1%*

National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
Ministry of Justice
National prison administration
US State Dept. human rights report
US State Dept. human rights report
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
Ministry of Justice (France)
Ministry of Justice (France)
Council of Europe

29*
454*
629*
381*
395*
10,068*
365*
811*

24.11.05
12.03
31.12.03
29.11.05
9.12.05
4.05
6.05
10.10.05

2.3%*
6.8%*
5.5%*
5.3%*
3.4%*
5.0%*
6.5%*
7.0%*

National prison administration
Ministry of Justice
Inter’l Corrections & Prisons Assoc.
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration

2,402*
539*
11,000*
c. 1,990*
4,656*
1,307*
14*
207*
2,363*
42*
c. 240*
1,408*
34*

31.12.02
30.11.05
6.04
1.02
10.04
1.12.05
31.12.05
99
11.05
1.7.00
8.99
8.7.03
1.4.03

5.3%*
7.0%*
3.3%*
6.3%*
6.8%*
10.7%*
0.9%*
5.1%*
7.0%*
5.9%*
6.0%*
6.6%*
5.8%*

Source of
female prison
population
total

Ministry of Justice
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
UN Latin American Institute
National prison administration
United Nations 7th Survey
Non-governmental organisation
National prison administration
Ministry of Justice (France)

Figures are not available for one independent country and four dependencies, namely Cuba, Greenland (Denmark), Puerto Rico (US),
Virgin Is. (UK) and Virgin Is. (US).
*	 The asterisked figures for Canada relate only to adult prisoners, those for Suriname only to certain convicted prisoners and those for
Netherlands Antilles only to two prisons, Bon Futuro and Pointe Blanche, which hold some 85% of the prison population.



World Female Imprisonment List
Table 3: Asia
Female prison
population (number
of women and girls
in penal institutions)

Date

Female prisoners
– percentage of
the total prison
population

Source of
female prison
population
total

Western Asia
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia

311*
51*
550*
207*
101*
67*
1,639*

6.9.04
31.12.02
03
12.11.04
00
00
02

2.3%*
2.1%*
14.9%*
3.9%*
5.0%*
11.8%*
5.7%*

Central Asia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan

2,870*
700*
511*

12.1.06
30.1.06
30.1.06

5.4%*
4.4%*
4.7%*

Penal Reform International
Penal Reform International
Penal Reform International

South Central Asia
Bangladesh
India
Iran
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka

2,043*
13,355*
c. 4,985*
218*
1,323*
906*

5.04
30.6.04
11.05
02
05
mid-05

2.8%*
4.0%*
3.5%*
8.3%*
1.5%*
3.8%*

National prison administration
National Human R’ts Commission
National prison administration
Penal Reform International
Human R’ts Commission, Pakistan
National prison administration

South Eastern Asia
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Vietnam

44*
500*
4,656*
421*
2,322*
5,842*
6,856*
1,649*
28,452*
1*
10,990*

23.11.05
mid-05
mid-05
mid-04
mid-05
31.12.02
05
30.6.05
mid-05
03
mid-05

8.3%*
6.1%*
4.7%*
10.5%*
6.5%*
17.8%*
7.6%*
11.0%*
17.2%*
0.3%*
12.4%*

71,286**
4,545**
2,413**
308**
2,708**
82**

12.03
1.1.05
31.1.06
mid-05
31.10.05
mid-05

4.6%
5.9%
5.3%
4.4%
22.1%
9.2%

Eastern Asia
China
Japan
Korea (Rep of)
Mongolia
Hong Kong (China)
Macau (China)

National prison administration
United Nations 8th Survey
US State Dept. human rights report
National prison administration
United Nations 7th Survey
United Nations 7th Survey
United Nations 8th Survey

National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administrations
National prison administration
National prison administration
UN Human Rights Commissioner
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration

Figures are not available for twelve Asian countries.
Western Asia: Bahrain, Iraq, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Central Asia: Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
South Central Asia: Afghanistan, Bhutan and Maldive Is.
Eastern Asia: Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea and Taiwan.
* 	 The asterisked figures for Nepal and Vietnam relate only to convicted prisoners; those for Jordan relate only to convicted adults.
** 	The total for China relates only to convicted prisoners. Figures are not available for the number of female prisoners held in pre-trial detention
or administrative detention.



World Female Imprisonment List
Table 4: Europe
Female prison
population (number
of women and girls in
penal institutions)

Date

Female prisoners
– percentage of
the total prison
population

Source of
female prison
population
total

Northern Europe
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
Iceland
Ireland
Latvia
Lithuania
Norway
Sweden
UK: England and Wales
UK: Northern Ireland
UK: Scotland
Faeroe Is. (Denmark)
Guernsey (UK)
I. of Man (UK)
Jersey (UK)

175
174
249
7
101
422
260
165
368
4,392
32
325
0
8
4
13

5.10.04
31.10.05
1.4.06
1.9.04
30.9.04
1.10.05
1.11.05
30.9.05
1.10.05
28.4.06
24.4.06
21.4.06
4.10.05
2.12.04
24.11.04
26.11.04

4.6%
3.9%
6.3%
6.1%
3.2%
5.8%
3.3%
5.2%
5.2%
5.7%
2.3%
4.8%
0%
7.5%
6.5%
7.7%

National prison administration
National prison administration
Ministry of Justice
Council of Europe (SPACE)
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration

100
4

2.11.05
1.9.02

2.9%
7.3%

National prison administration
Council of Europe (SPACE)

38
14
159
16
518
2,632
33
11
914
0

31.1.06
31.12.05
31.10.05
11.4.06
16.12.04
31.12.04
1.1.06
1.9.02
15.4.06
1.9.03

2.5%
1.5%
4.4%
2.8%
5.9%
4.7%
1.6%
3.9%
7.0%
0%

Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice
National prison administration
National prison administration
Ministry of Justice
National prison administration
National prison administration
Council of Europe (SPACE)
National prison administration
Council of Europe (SPACE)

231
18
25
46
4,964
0

6.05
25.4.02
27.7.03
24.2.05
21.4.06
4.11.05

3.0%
2.5%
2.1%
4.1%
7.9%
0%

National prison administration
National prison administration
UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration

470
406
1,958
4,037
0
29
1,767
332

1.11.05
30.12.04
1.9.05
31.3.05
1.9.02
16.2.05
1.7.04
7.9.05

5.3%
4.4%
3.7%
5.0%
0%
4.4%
8.8%
5.4%

National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
Federal Ministry of Justice
Council of Europe (SPACE)
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration

82
262
211
55,400
1,775

1.11.05
1.9.04
8.6.05
1.4.06
31.10.05

2.8%
1.4%
2.4%
6.5%
3.3%

National prison administration
Council of Europe (SPACE)
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration

Southern Europe
Albania
Andorra
Bosnia & Herzegovina
– Federation
– Republika Srpska
Croatia
Cyprus
Greece
Italy
Macedonia
Malta
Portugal
San Marino
Serbia & Montenegro
– Serbia
– Montenegro
– Kosovo
Slovenia
Spain
Gibraltar (UK)

Western Europe
Austria
Belgium
France
Germany
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Switzerland

Europe/Asia
Armenia

Azerbaijan
Georgia
Russian Federation
Turkey



World Female Imprisonment List
Table 4: Europe (continued)
Female prison
population (number
of women and girls in
penal institutions)

Female prisoners
– percentage of
the total prison
population

Date

Source of
female prison
population
total

Central and Eastern Europe
Belarus
Bulgaria
Czech Rep.
Hungary
Moldova
Poland
Romania
Slovakia
Ukraine

3,098
390
913
966
429
2,510
1,735
405
11,832

7.5%
3.4%
4.8%
5.8%
4.8%
2.9%
4.7%
4.4%
6.1%

1.1.06
1.1.06
31.3.06
1.1.05
1.11.05
31.3.06
11.11.05
26.10.05
1.9.04

National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
Council of Europe (SPACE)

Figures are not available for Monaco.
Figures for Cyprus do not include the internationally unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Figures for France are for metropolitan France, excluding departments and territories in Africa, the Americas and Oceania.
Figures for Moldova do not include the internationally unrecognised Transdniestria/Transnistria.

Table 5: Oceania
Female prison
population (number
of women and girls in
penal institutions)
Australia
Fiji
Kiribati
Marshall Is.
Nauru
New Zealand
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Is.	
Tonga
Tuvalu	
Vanuatu	
Cook Is. (NZ)
Fr. Polynesia (Fr)
Guam (US)
New Caledonia (Fr)	

1,734
23
1
2
0
435
8
201
20
2
7
0
6
1
12
31
4

Date

Female prisoners
– percentage of
the total prison
population
6.8%
2.1%
1.4%
4.7%
0%
6.1%
8.6%
5.0%
9.0%
0.7%
5.5%
0%
4.3%
3.7%
4.1%
6.2%
1.3%

30.6.05
mid-05
mid-05
5.05
30.4.05
30.6.05
30.4.05
30.4.05
30.4.05
30.11.05
30.4.05
19.12.05
mid-05
4.05
1.4.03
29.12.05
1.4.03

Source of
female prison
population
total
Australian Bureau of Statistics
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
National prison administration
French Ministry of Justice
National prison administration
French Ministry of Justice

Figures are not available for one independent country in Oceania (the Federated States of Micronesia) and two United States dependencies
(American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands).
Roy Walmsley is an honorary consultant to the United Nations and an Associate of the International Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS), King’s
College, London. At ICPS he is director of World Prison Brief Online, a comprehensive database of information on the prison systems of the world,
which is available free of charge at www.prisonstudies.org

International Centre for Prison Studies
King’s College London – School of Law
3rd Floor
26-29 Drury Lane
London WC2B 5RL

International Centre
for Prison Studies



Tel: 00 44 (0)20 7848 1922
Fax: 00 44 (0)20 7848 1901
Website: www.prisonstudies.org
Email: icps@kcl.ac.uk