World Prison Population List
(sixth edition)
International Centre
for Prison Studies

Roy Walmsley

Introduction
The World Prison Population List gives details of the
number of prisoners held in 211 independent countries
and dependent territories. It shows the differences in
the level of imprisonment across the world and makes
possible an estimate of the world prison population
total. The information is the latest available at the end of
February 2005.
This is the sixth edition of the List. Previous editions
were published by the Research and Statistics
Directorate of the UK Home Office. ICPS is happy to
continue this work, which complements the information
which it already publishes and updates regularly on
the World Prison Brief section of its website www.
prisonstudies.org.
It has been compiled, like previous editions, 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 figures relate to dates
between mid-2002 and the end of February 2005. Since
prison population rates (per 100,000 of the national
population) are based on estimates of the national
population they should not be regarded as precise. In
order to compare prison population rates in different
regions of the world, and to estimate the number
of persons held in prison in the countries for which
information is not available, median rates have been
used because they minimise the effect of countries with
rates that are untypically high or low.
The List has a number of weaknesses. Figures are
not available for eleven countries and the information
does not relate to the same date. Comparability is
further compromised by different practice in different
countries, for example with regard to whether all pretrial detainees and juveniles are held under the authority
of the prison administration, and also whether the
prison administration is responsible for psychiatrically ill
offenders and offenders being detained for treatment for
alcoholism and drug addiction. People held in custody
are usually omitted from national totals if they are not
under the authority of the prison administration.
Despite its limitations it is hoped that the World Prison
Population List will be found useful by academic
criminologists who are studying the use of imprisonment
world-wide and by non-governmental organisations who
are interested in variations in criminal justice practice.
The data – for all its imperfections – may prompt fresh
thought among policy makers and other criminal justice
experts about the size of the prison population in their
country, given the high costs and disputed efficacy of
imprisonment.

Key points
 Over 9 million people are held in penal institutions
throughout the world, mostly as pre-trial detainees
(remand prisoners) or having been convicted
and sentenced. Almost half of these are in the
United States (2.09m), China (1.55m plus pretrial detainees and prisoners in ‘administrative
detention’) or Russia (0.76m).
 The United States has the highest prison
population rate in the world, some 714 per 100,000
of the national population, followed by Belarus,
Bermuda and Russia (all 532), Palau (523), U.S.
Virgin Islands (490), Turkmenistan (489), Cuba
(487), Suriname (437), Cayman Islands (429), Belize
(420), Ukraine (417), Maldive Islands (416), St Kitts
and Nevis (415), South Africa (413) and Bahamas
(410).
 However, almost three fifths of countries (58%)
have rates below 150 per 100,000. (The rate in
England and Wales - 142 per 100,000 of the
national population - is above the mid-point in the
World List.)
 Prison population rates vary considerably between
different regions of the world, and between
different parts of the same continent. For example:
• in Africa the median rate for western African
countries is 52 whereas for southern African
countries it is 324;
• in the Americas the median rate for south
American countries is 152 whereas for Caribbean
countries it is 324;
• in Asia the median rate for south central Asian
countries (mainly the Indian sub-continent) is 55
whereas for (ex-Soviet) central Asian countries it
is 386;
• in Europe the median rate for southern European
countries is 80 whereas for central and eastern
European countries it is 184;
• in Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand)
the median rate is 111.
 Prison populations are growing in many parts of the
world. Updated information on countries included
in previous editions of the World Prison Population
List shows that prison populations have risen in
73% of these countries (in 64% of countries in
Africa, 79% in the Americas, 88% in Asia, 69% in
Europe and 69% in Oceania).

World Prison Population List (sixth edition)
Table 1 AFRICA
Prison population total
(no. in penal institutions
incl. pre-trial detainees)

Date

Estimated
national
population

Prison population
rate (per 100,000 of
national population)

Source of
prison population
total

Northern Africa
Algeria
Egypt
Libya
Morocco
Sudan
Tunisia

38,868
c.80,000
11,790
54,200
c.12,000
23,165

1/1/04
/98
31/7/04
6/04
3/03
31/12/96

32.05m
66.0m
5.7m
31.1m
33.2m
9.15m

121
c.121
207
174
c.36
252

NPA
Criminal justice expert, Egypt
NPA
Moroccan human r’ts c’ttee report
NPA
United Nations 5th Survey

4,961
2,800
755
10,355
450
11,379
3,070
4,040
1,185
c.6,000
39,153
5,360
3,200

30/9/00
9/02
12/99
8/3/02
9/02
26/12/03
mid-02
2/02
9/03
mid-02
29/2/04
9/02
8/03

6.1m
12.2m
423,000
16.6m
1.4m
21.25m
8.4m
11.9m
2.9m
11.6m
126.0m
9.9m
4.9m

81
23
178
62
32
54
37
34
41
c.52
31
54
65

NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
US State Dep’t human r’ts report
NPA
NPA
NPA
Afrol News

6,008
20,000
4,168
3,883
918
c.30,000
130

4/4/03
6/03
/01
mid-02
/93
1/04
4/02

13.6m
16.0m
3.8m
8.4m
2.4m
52.8m
165,000

44
125
110
46
38
c.57
79

NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
PRI, from NPA
Crim. justice experts, D.R.Congo
NPA

Western Africa
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cape Verde
Côte d’Ivoire
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea (Conakry)
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Nigeria
Senegal
Togo

Central Africa
Angola
Cameroon
Central African Rep.
Chad
Congo (Brazzaville)
Dem. Repub. Congo
Sao Tome e Principe

Eastern Africa
7,914
/03
6.8m
116
Ministry of Justice, Burundi
c.200
/98
658,000
c.30
Crim. justice expert, Comoros
384
16/12/99
629,000
61
Min. of Foreign Affairs, Djibouti
c.65,000
mid-03
70.7m
c.92
Crim. justice expert, Ethiopia
55,000
9/04
32.5m
169
Office of Vice President, Kenya
c.19,000
/03
17.4m
c.109
Ministry of Justice, Madagascar
8,566
20/11/03
12.2m
70
NPA
2,565
4/03
1.2m
214
NPA
8,812
31/12/99
17.6m
50
UNDP report
112,000*
mid-02
8.1m
-*
NPA
*(Prison population total includes 103,134 held on suspicion of participation in genocide.)
Seychelles
149
/03
80,000
186
US State Dep’t human r’ts report
Tanzania
43,244
1/5/04
37.2m
116
NPA
Uganda
c.21,900
5/02
24.7m
c.89
NPA (15,902)+c.6,000 in local prisons
Zambia
13,200
12/03
10.8m
122
NPA
Zimbabwe
c.20,000
31/12/03
12.9m
c.155
US State Dep’t human r’ts report
Mayotte (France)
161
1/12/04
189,000
85
French Ministry of Justice
Réunion (France)
1,054
1/12/04
772,000
137
French Ministry of Justice
Burundi
Comoros
Djibouti
Ethiopia
Kenya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Rwanda

Southern Africa
Botswana
Lesotho
Namibia
South Africa
Swaziland
Figures not available

6,105
3,000
4,814
186,739
3,245

3/12/04
mid-02
31/12/01
31/8/04
31/12/02

339
143
267
413
324

1.8m
2.1m
1.8m
45.2m
1.0m

Western Africa: Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone.
Central Africa: Equatorial Guinea, Gabon.
Eastern Africa: Eritrea, Somalia.

2

NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA

World Prison Population List (sixth edition)
Table 2 AMERICAS
Prison population total
(no. in penal institutions
incl. pre-trial detainees)

Date

Estimated
national
population

Prison population
rate (per 100,000 of
national population)

Source of
prison population
total

North America
36,389*
02-03
31.44m
116
Statistics Canada
*(Average daily population, including young offenders, 1/4/2002-31/3/2003)
USA
2,085,620
31/12/03
292.2m
714
US Bureau of Justice Statistics
Bermuda (UK)
343
11/11/03
64,500
532
NPA
Greenland (Denmark)
107
5/10/04
56,400
190
Danish NPA
Canada

Central America
1,074
7,619
12,117
8,307
11,236
191,890
5,610
10,630

/03
11/04
/04
2/03
mid-04
28/11/04
31/10/04
3/03

256,000
4.3m
6.6m
12.2m
7.1m
105.5m
5.6m
3.0m

420
177
184
68
158
182
100
354

US State Dep’t human r’ts report
Ministry of Justice, Costa Rica
Int’l Corrections+Prisons Assoc’n
PRI Newsletter 53, 2003
Int’l Corrections+Prisons Assoc’n
NPA
NPA (excl. those in police lockups)
Criminal justice expert, Panama

Antigua & Barbuda
184
Bahamas
1,280
Barbados
992
Cuba
c.55,000
Dominica
243
Dominican Republic
13,836
Grenada
237
Haiti
3,519
Jamaica
4,744
St Kitts & Nevis
195
St Lucia
460
St Vincent & Grenadines
397
Trinidad & Tobago
3,991
Aruba (Netherlands)
231
Cayman Islands (UK)
187
Guadeloupe (France)
767
Martinique (France)
671
Neth. Antilles (Netherlands) 780
Puerto Rico (US)
15,046
Virgin Islands (UK)
43

24/1/05
10/02
11/11/03
/03
31/12/03
28/4/04
22/2/05
/03
18/11/03
9/03
8/03
1/2/05
10/03
21/1/05
17/12/04
1/12/04
1/12/04
11/98
31/12/03
19/8/99

68,320
312,000
270,000
11.3m
72,000
8.8m
89,400
8.3m
2.7m
47,000
160,000
117,000
1.3m
71,200
43,600
444,000
396,000
214,000
3.9m
20,000

269
410
367
c.487
337
157
265
42
176
415
287
339
307
324
429
173
169
364
386
215

559

31/12/03

114,000

490

NPA
NPA
NPA
Nils Christie, Oslo University
US State Dep’t human r’ts report
NPA
NPA
NPA (excl. those in police lockups)
NPA
US State Dep’t human r’ts report
US State Dep’t human r’ts report
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
French Ministry of Justice
French Ministry of Justice
Dutch NPA
US Bureau of Justice Statistics
Prison reform coordinator,
UK Overseas Territories
US Bureau of Justice Statistics

56,313
6,768
330,642
33,098
68,545
13,045
1,295
4,088
32,129
1,933
7,100
21,342

31/12/02
12/03
6/04
30/6/02
10/04
/03
1/05
/99
10/04
30/6/99
9/03
8/7/03

38.15m
8.9m
180.7m
15.6m
45.2m
13.0m
768,000
5.48m
28.1m
442,000
3.4m
25.7m

148
76
183
212
152
100
169
75
114
437
209
83

Prison statistics system ‘SNEEP’
NPA
NPA
NPA, via ILANUD
NPA
NPA
NPA
ILANUD, from NPA
NPA
ILANUD, from NPA and others
Criminal justice expert, Uruguay
NPA

691

1/12/04

193,000

358

French Ministry of Justice

Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama

Caribbean

Virgin Islands (US)

South America
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
French Guiana/
Guyane (France)

3

World Prison Population List (sixth edition)
Table 3 ASIA
Prison population total
(no. in penal institutions
incl.pre-trial detainees)

Date

Estimated
national
population

Prison population
rate (per 100,000 of
national population)

Source of
prison population
total

Western Asia
Bahrain
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
United Arab Emirates
Yemen

911
c.15,000
13,603
5,448
c.3,700
5,375
2,020
570
23,720
14,000
c.6,000
14,000*

31/12/97
589,000
155
4/04
25.2m
c.60
6/9/04
6.5m
209
2/02
5.15m
106
/03
2.5m
c.148
12/11/04
3.7m
145
/00
2.5m
81
/00
599,000
95
/00
21.6m
110
/97
15.0m
93
12/98
2.4m
c.250
/98
16.9m
83*
*(government managed prisons only)

United Nations 6th Survey
‘Washington Times’, USA
NPA
PRI
US State Dep’t human r’ts report
NPA
United Nations 7th Survey
United Nations 7th Survey
United Nations 7th Survey
Conference paper, January 1998
Criminal justice experts in U.A.E
PRI Newsletter 33, 1998

Central Asia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan

58,300
19,500
c.10,000
c.22,000
48,000

31/8/03
3/02
9/03
10/00
8/03

74,170
313,635
133,658
1,098*

5/04
mid-03
7/04
/96

386
390
c.159
c.489
184

15.1m
5.0m
6.3m
4.5m
26.1m

Penal Reform International, Almaty
NPA
Criminal justice expert, Tajikistan
BBC, from Interfax
NPA

South Central Asia
Bangladesh
India
Iran
Maldive Is.
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka

7,132
86,000
20,975

/02
/04
31/12/03

149.5m
50
1,065.5m
29
69.0m
194
265,000
414*
*(sentenced prisoners only)
24.2m
29
157.3m
55
19.15m
110

NPA
National Human Rights Commission
NPA
Ministry of Justice, Maldive Islands
Penal Reform International
Criminal justice expert, Pakistan
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference

South Eastern Asia
Brunei Darussalam
463
mid-04
366,000
127
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
Cambodia
6,778
mid-04
14.5m
47
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
Indonesia
84,357
9/03
219.9m
38
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
Malaysia
43,424
mid-04
24.9m
174
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
Myanmar (Burma)
c.60,000
04
50.1m
c.120
NPA
Philippines
70,383
/99
74.5m
94
UNAFEI, from crim. just. expert, Phil’s
Singapore
16,835*
mid-04
4.3m
392*
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
*(does not include those in drug rehabilitation centres run by the Singapore Prison Service)
Thailand
168,264
31/12/04
63.85m
264
NPA
Timor-Leste
c.320
1/2/03
778,000
41
UN High Commiss’r for Human Rights
Vietnam
55,000
mid-98
77.6m
71
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference

Eastern Asia
China
Japan
Korea (Republic of)
Mongolia
Taiwan
Hong Kong (China)
Macau (China)
Figures not available

1,548,498*
73,734
57,902
6,400
57,037
13,226
875

12/03
1/1/04
30/6/04
mid-04
11/04
30/6/04
30/6/04

1,308.7m
118*
*(sentenced prisoners only)
127.8m
58
48.0m
121
2.6m
246
22.7m
251
7.0m
189
445,000
197

NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA
NPA
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference

South Central Asia: Afghanistan, Bhutan.
South Eastern Asia: Laos.
Eastern Asia: Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea).

4

World Prison Population List (sixth edition)
Table 4 EUROPE
Prison population total
(no. in penal institutions
incl. pre-trial detainees)

Date

Estimated
national
population

Prison population
rate (per 100,000 of
national population)

Source of
prison population
total

Northern Europe
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
Iceland
Ireland
Latvia
Lithuania
Norway
Sweden
United Kingdom
– England & Wales
– Northern Ireland
– Scotland
Faeroe Is. (Denmark)
Guernsey (UK)
Isle of Man (UK)
Jersey (UK)

3,774
4,571
3,719
115
3,417
7,796
8,063
2,975
6,755

5/10/04
1/4/04
15/4/04
1/9/04
30/9/04
1/1/05
1/1/04
1/9/04
1/10/03

5.41m
1.35m
5.22m
292,000
4.03m
2.31m
3.45m
4.6m
8.96m

70
339
71
39
85
337
234
65
75

NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA

75,320
1,275
6,742
14
107
62
168

25/2/05
24/2/05
25/2/05
5/10/04
2/12/04
24/11/04
26/11/04

53.02m
1.78m
5.11m
46,700
65,100
74,800
90,600

142
72
132
30
164
83
185

NPA
NPA
NPA
Danish NPA
NPA
NPA
NPA

Southern Europe
Albania
3,778
11/03
3.6m
105
NPA
Andorra
61
1/9/03
67,800
90
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
Bosnia & Herzegovina
– Federation
1,509
31/1/05
2.6m
58
Ministry of Justice, Federation of B+H
– Republika Srpska
1,052
31/12/04
1.4m
75
Ministry of Justice, B+H Rep. Srpska
Croatia
3,010
30/6/04
4.44m
68
NPA
Greece
8,760
16/12/04
10.65m
82
Ministry of Justice
Italy*
57,046
30/6/04
58.17m
98
NPA
*(by agreement with Italy, persons imprisoned by San Marino and Vatican City are held in Italian prisons.)
Macedonia (F Yug Rep)
1,598
1/9/03
2.06m
78
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
Malta
278
1/9/03
388,000
72
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
Portugal
13,498
1/12/04
10.54m
128
NPA
Serbia & Montenegro
– Serbia
7,487
1/9/03
8.1m
92
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
– Montenegro
734
1/9/03
680,000
108
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
– Kosovo
1,182
7/03
1.9m
62
Statistical Office of Kosovo
Slovenia
1,129
24/2/05
2.0m
56
NPA
Spain
59,899
18/2/05
42.93m
140
NPA
Gibraltar (UK)
19
17/12/04
27,800
68
NPA

Western Europe
8,700
1/2/05
8.18m
106
NPA
9,245
1/3/04
10.5m
88
NPA
55,028*
1/12/04
60.14m*
91
French Ministry of Justice
(metropolitan France, excluding departments and territories in Africa, the Americas and Oceania)
Germany
79,329
31/8/04
82.60m
96
Federal Ministry of Justice
Liechtenstein*
18
1/9/03
34,200
53
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
*(by agreement with Austria, some persons imprisoned by Liechtenstein are held in Austrian prisons.)
Luxembourg
655
16/2/05
455,300
144
NPA
Monaco*
13
10/98
33,000
39
Information from Pierre Tournier
*(by agreement with France, some persons imprisoned by Monaco are held in French prisons.)
Netherlands
19,999
1/7/04
16.32m
123
NPA
Switzerland
6,021
1/9/04
7.39m
81
Federal Statistical Office
Austria
Belgium
France

Europe/Asia
2,866
1/4/04
3.21m
92
NPA
16,345
1/9/03
8.24m
198
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
355*
1/9/03
709,000*
50
NPA
* (does not include the internationally unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Including TRNC the population of Cyprus is estimated at about 809,000 in 2003, plus about 100,000 Turkish settlers.)
Georgia
7,091
18/8/04
4.3m
165
PRI
Russian Federation
763,054
1/1/05
143.4m
532
NPA
Turkey
67,772
3/04
71.43m
95
NPA
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Cyprus

5

*

World Prison Population List (sixth edition)
Table 4 EUROPE (continued)
Prison population total
(no. in penal institutions
incl. pre-trial detainees)

Date

Estimated
national
population

Prison population
rate (per 100,000 of
national population)

Source of
prison population
total

Central and Eastern Europe
Belarus
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Hungary
Moldova

Poland
Romania
Slovakia
Ukraine

52,500
/03
9.87m
532
Ministry of Internal Affairs
11,060
1/2/05
7.76m
143
NPA
18,830
31/1/05
10.22m
184
NPA
16,700
20/11/03
10.11m
165
NPA
10,729*
1/9/03
3.61m*
297
C of E Annual Penal Statistics
*(does not include the internationally unrecognised Transdniestria. Including Transdniestria
the national population of Moldova is estimated at 4.3 millions.)
79,087
31/10/04
38.17m
209
NPA
39,015
11/1/05
21.65m
180
NPA
8,891
8/1/04
5.38m
165
NPA
198,386
1/9/03
47.7m
416
C of E Annual Penal Statistics

Table 5 OCEANIA
Prison population total
Date
(no. in penal institutions
incl. pre-trial detainees)
Australia
23,362
mid-04
Fiji
1,083
mid-04
Kiribati
81
mid-04
Marshall Is.
23
/94
Micronesia, Fed States of
39
/97
Nauru
6
2/03

Estimated
national
population
19.9m
847,000
100,800
52,000
114,000
12,500

Prison population
rate (per 100,000 of
national population)
117
128
80
44
34
48

New Zealand
6,802
Palau
103
Papua New Guinea
3,302
Samoa
281
Solomon Is.
275
Tonga
116
Tuvalu
6
Vanuatu
93
American Samoa (US)
174
Cook Is. (NZ)
19
French Polynesia (France) 327
Guam (US)
579
New Caledonia (France)
286
Northern Mariana Is. (US)
136

4.06m
19,700
5.0m
178,000
491,000
110,200
10,800
212,000
57,900
21,000
250,000
164,000
235,000
78,400

168
523
66
158
56
105
56
44
301
90
131
353
122
173

Abbreviations

C of E
ILANUD
NPA

mid-04
19/2/03
mid-02
12/11/03
mid-04
mid-04
mid-00
mid-03
31/12/03
mid-03
1/12/04
31/12/03
1/12/04
31/12/03

Council of Europe
UN Latin American Institute
National prison administration

PRI
UNAFEI
UNDP

Source of
prison population
total
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
United Nations 5th Survey
F S Micronesia Statistical Yearbook
‘The Grand Island Independent’,
Nebraska, USA
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
Ministry of Justice
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
US Bureau of Justice Statistics
NPA, Asia-Pacific annual conference
French Ministry of Justice
US Bureau of Justice Statistics
French Ministry of Justice
US Bureau of Justice Statistics

Penal Reform International
UN Asia and Far East Institute
UN Development Programme

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

6

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