South Africa: Imprisonment rate

* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
 South Africa

Number of prisoners per 100,000 people

 Latest value 279
 Year 2017
 Measure prisoners per 100,000 people
 Data availability 2003 - 2017
 Average 323
 Min - Max 279 - 392
 Source The UN office on drugs and crime
The latest value from 2017 is 279 prisoners per 100,000 people, a decline from 287 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2014. In comparison, the world average is 182 prisoners per 100,000 people, based on data from 146 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 2003 to 2017 is 323 prisoners per 100,000 people. The minimum value, 279 prisoners per 100,000 people, was reached in 2017 while the maximum of 392 prisoners per 100,000 people was recorded in 2004. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Recent data
South Africa - Imprisonment rate - Recent values chart

Historical series
South Africa - Imprisonment rate - historical chart - 2003-2017




Definition: Number of prisoners per 100,000 people.

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 Related indicators Latest Reference Measure
 Kidnapping rate 9.6 2017 kidnappings per 100,000 people
 Robbery rate 332 2017 robberies per 100,000 people
 Imprisonment rate 279 2017 prisoners per 100,000 people
 Homicide rate 35.9 2017 homicides per 100,000 people
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