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Current Global Female Prison Population

Over 733,000 women and girls are confined in penal institutions internationally, as reported by latest investigations. This statistic encompasses both remand prisoners and individuals already found guilty and punished. Researchers estimate the actual total is much greater due to incomplete data from multiple countries.

Females typically constitute a limited percentage of overall inmate numbers – typically between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls represent approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. Nevertheless, their numbers are increasing at a more rapid tempo than male prisoners.

Over the past two decades, the incarcerated females in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – roughly triple the increase observed in the male inmate numbers. The international incarcerated women statistics rose by over 100,000 individuals during the decade-long span ending in 2020.

Main Causes Behind the Increase

Offenses committed by women are commonly connected to financial deprivation and usually serve as a means of survival to care for their dependents.

Comprehensive research has found that legislation frequently penalizes basic sustenance activities and that women are unfairly targeted because they are disproportionately represented among the poorest sectors of society. In many countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution primarily impact women. The probability of getting a prison sentence is frequently connected with poverty and the failure to afford fines for petty offenses or to obtain release.

Countries with the Largest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The US has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China ranks second with 145,000, plus an undetermined count of women and girls in remand imprisonment and "administrative detention". Additional major sources 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 overall inmate count. 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, amounting to approximately 8% of its complete incarceration numbers.

States with Substantial Rises in Incarcerated Women Statistics

Although including normal population growth over the last quarter-century, the surge in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people continues to demonstrate a significant growth. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced over six times growth, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen growth exceeding 500%.

Women on Death Row

Recent estimates 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, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. According to recent documentation, 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.

Unreliable information is available for nations with highest execution rates or for others such as North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nonetheless, analysis is available for 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 mandatory death penalties for murder, or that fail to acknowledge gender-based violence as lessening conditions, are inclined to display greater amounts of women on death row and more executions.

Moreover, countries that severely criminalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Middle East and Asian southeast, have a substantial ratio of women on death row.

Fitness of Imprisonment for Women

Many experts and advocates maintain that prison is not a suitable punishment for a large number of women who violate regulations. Most are incarcerated for peaceful violations; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fit this category. Women commonly face a "revolving door" of short prison sentences – inadequate duration to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Up to 80% of women in prison worldwide have an recognizable psychiatric disorder. In Europe, self-harm statistics for women in prison are nine times higher than for the wider community, as reported by the global health authority.

In reaction to increasing figures of incarcerated women and a lack of standards addressing their requirements, the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners (known as the Bangkok Rules) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules mandate countries to establish non-imprisonment penalties and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An calculated 19,000 children dwell in incarceration centers 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.

Apart from the evident parting and related distress that a prison sentence can cause, it is not uncommon for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a limited duration in prison.

Numerous nations make provision for babies and young children to stay in prison with their mothers up to a specific age. However, a early life in correctional facilities can negatively affect a minor both bodily and psychologically.