Imprisonment rate - Country rankings

* indicates monthly or quarterly data series

Number of prisoners per 100,000 people, 2017:

The average for 2017 based on 138 countries was 174 prisoners per 100,000 people. The highest value was in El Salvador: 601 prisoners per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in San Marino: 9 prisoners per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 2002 to 2017. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Measure: prisoners per 100,000 people; Source: The UN office on drugs and crime
Select indicator
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Countries Imprisonment rate, 2017 Global rank Available data
El Salvador 601 1 2004 - 2017
Thailand 540 2 2004 - 2017
Turkmenistan 529 3 2003 - 2017
Rwanda 500 4 2005 - 2017
Seychelles 445 5 2003 - 2017
St. Vincent & ... 426 6 2014 - 2017
Maldives 425 7 2004 - 2017
Russia 418 8 2003 - 2017
Palau 395 9 2003 - 2017
Panama 394 10 2003 - 2017
Belize 346 11 2003 - 2017
Belarus 343 12 2003 - 2017
Brazil 335 13 2003 - 2017
Turkey 322 14 2003 - 2017
Uruguay 320 15 2003 - 2017
Barbados 306 16 2003 - 2017
Ant.& Barb. 299 17 2005 - 2017
Saint Lucia 294 18 2014 - 2017
Tr.&Tobago 292 19 2003 - 2017
Costa Rica 290 20 2004 - 2017
Guyana 286 21 2004 - 2017
Iran 283 22 2004 - 2017
Cape Verde 282 23 2007 - 2017
South Africa 279 24 2003 - 2017
Peru 278 25 2003 - 2017
Puerto Rico 274 26 2005 - 2017
Taiwan 266 27 2014 - 2017
Georgia 255 28 2003 - 2017
Colombia 244 29 2003 - 2017
Domin. Rep. 244 30 2003 - 2017
Azerbaijan 237 31 2003 - 2017
Bahrain 233 32 2003 - 2017
Morocco 233 33 2003 - 2017
Israel 232 34 2003 - 2017
Chile 231 35 2003 - 2017
Lithuania 228 36 2003 - 2017
Ecuador 226 37 2003 - 2017
New Zealand 222 38 2004 - 2017
Czechia 209 39 2003 - 2017
Honduras 209 40 2004 - 2017
Saudi Arabia 207 41 2002 - 2017
Macao 206 42 2005 - 2017
Paraguay 206 43 2003 - 2017
Singapore 205 44 2003 - 2017
Samoa 204 45 2003 - 2017
Mauritius 202 46 2003 - 2017
N. Caledonia 199 47 2015 - 2017
Estonia 197 48 2003 - 2017
Poland 195 49 2003 - 2017
Albania 194 50 2003 - 2017
Cambodia 194 51 2004 - 2017
Argentina 193 52 2004 - 2017
Latvia 193 53 2003 - 2017
Liechtenstein 192 54 2003 - 2017
Slovakia 192 55 2003 - 2017
Botswana 189 56 2003 - 2017
Kazakhstan 187 57 2003 - 2017
Moldova 185 58 2003 - 2017
Tunisia 180 59 2004 - 2017
Venezuela 179 60 2014 - 2017
Hungary 178 61 2003 - 2017
Montenegro 178 62 2003 - 2017
Kyrgyzstan 175 63 2003 - 2017
Malaysia 175 64 2004 - 2017
Australia 169 65 2003 - 2017
Bolivia 162 66 2003 - 2017
Jordan 162 67 2005 - 2017
Burma 149 68 2004 - 2017
North Macedonia 146 69 2003 - 2017
Algeria 145 70 2003 - 2017
Kuwait 145 71 2003 - 2017
Guatemala 144 72 2003 - 2017
UK 143 73 2003 - 2017
Mexico 141 74 2003 - 2017
Malta 136 75 2003 - 2017
Vietnam 136 76 2005 - 2017
Jamaica 133 77 2003 - 2017
Portugal 132 78 2003 - 2017
Ukraine 129 79 2003 - 2017
Spain 127 80 2003 - 2017
Mongolia 126 81 2004 - 2017
Uganda 126 82 2003 - 2017
S.T.&Principe 123 83 2015 - 2017
Serbia 123 84 2003 - 2017
Armenia 121 85 2004 - 2017
Romania 119 86 2003 - 2017
Zambia 118 87 2003 - 2017
Hong Kong 113 88 2003 - 2017
Luxembourg 111 89 2005 - 2017
South Korea 108 90 2003 - 2017
France 106 91 2003 - 2017
Lebanon 106 92 2003 - 2017
Kenya 103 93 2004 - 2017
Italy 101 94 2003 - 2017
Austria 100 95 2003 - 2017
Bulgaria 99 96 2003 - 2017
Sri Lanka 99 97 2005 - 2017
Burundi 93 98 2003 - 2017
Indonesia 93 99 2003 - 2017
Greece 90 100 2003 - 2017
Belgium 88 101 2004 - 2017
Afghanistan 84 102 2004 - 2017
Madagascar 82 103 2003 - 2017
Haiti 81 104 2003 - 2017
Ireland 79 105 2003 - 2017
Malawi 79 106 2003 - 2017
Solomon Isl. 78 107 2004 - 2017
Germany 77 108 2003 - 2017
Switzerland 77 109 2003 - 2017
Monaco 74 110 2003 - 2017
Benin 70 111 2006 - 2017
Andorra 68 112 2003 - 2017
Nepal 64 113 2005 - 2017
Norway 64 114 2003 - 2017
Denmark 63 115 2003 - 2017
Slovenia 63 116 2003 - 2017
Togo 62 117 2003 - 2017
Mozambique 61 118 2004 - 2017
Netherlands 61 119 2003 - 2017
Sierra Leone 60 120 2004 - 2017
Senegal 59 121 2005 - 2017
Sweden 58 122 2003 - 2017
Ivory Coast 57 123 2006 - 2017
Finland 56 124 2003 - 2017
Bangladesh 54 125 2004 - 2017
Sudan 52 126 2002 - 2017
Ghana 51 127 2003 - 2017
Cyprus 50 128 2003 - 2017
Liberia 47 129 2007 - 2017
Pakistan 42 130 2004 - 2017
Japan 41 131 2003 - 2017
Nigeria 40 132 2004 - 2017
Iceland 39 133 2003 - 2017
G.-Bissau 32 134 2016 - 2017
Guinea 25 135 2002 - 2017
Comoros 23 136 2009 - 2017
Faroe Isl. 12 137 2005 - 2017
San Marino 9 138 2005 - 2017



Definition: Number of prisoners per 100,000 people.

Selected articles from our guide:

The unholy trinity of international finance

Most commonly used measures of corruption

All articles

1. El Salvador
2. Thailand
3. Turkmenistan
4. Rwanda
5. Seychelles
6. St. Vincent & ...
7. Maldives
8. Russia
9. Palau
10. Panama
11. Belize
12. Belarus
13. Brazil
14. Turkey
15. Uruguay
16. Barbados
17. Ant.& Barb.
18. Saint Lucia
19. Tr.&Tobago
20. Costa Rica
21. Guyana
22. Iran
23. Cape Verde
24. South Africa
25. Peru
26. Puerto Rico
27. Taiwan
28. Georgia
29. Colombia
30. Domin. Rep.
31. Azerbaijan
32. Bahrain
33. Morocco
34. Israel
35. Chile
36. Lithuania
37. Ecuador
38. New Zealand
39. Czechia
40. Honduras
41. Saudi Arabia
42. Macao
43. Paraguay
44. Singapore
45. Samoa
46. Mauritius
47. N. Caledonia
48. Estonia
49. Poland
50. Albania
51. Cambodia
52. Argentina
53. Latvia
54. Liechtenstein
55. Slovakia
56. Botswana
57. Kazakhstan
58. Moldova
59. Tunisia
60. Venezuela
61. Hungary
62. Montenegro
63. Kyrgyzstan
64. Malaysia
65. Australia
66. Bolivia
67. Jordan
68. Burma
69. North Macedonia
70. Algeria
71. Kuwait
72. Guatemala
73. UK
74. Mexico
75. Malta
76. Vietnam
77. Jamaica
78. Portugal
79. Ukraine
80. Spain
81. Mongolia
82. Uganda
83. S.T.&Principe
84. Serbia
85. Armenia
86. Romania
87. Zambia
88. Hong Kong
89. Luxembourg
90. South Korea
91. France
92. Lebanon
93. Kenya
94. Italy
95. Austria
96. Bulgaria
97. Sri Lanka
98. Burundi
99. Indonesia
100. Greece
101. Belgium
102. Afghanistan
103. Madagascar
104. Haiti
105. Ireland
106. Malawi
107. Solomon Isl.
108. Germany
109. Switzerland
110. Monaco
111. Benin
112. Andorra
113. Nepal
114. Norway
115. Denmark
116. Slovenia
117. Togo
118. Mozambique
119. Netherlands
120. Sierra Leone
121. Senegal
122. Sweden
123. Ivory Coast
124. Finland
125. Bangladesh
126. Sudan
127. Ghana
128. Cyprus
129. Liberia
130. Pakistan
131. Japan
132. Nigeria
133. Iceland
134. G.-Bissau
135. Guinea
136. Comoros
137. Faroe Isl.
138. San Marino
601
540
529
500
445
426
425
418
395
394
346
343
335
322
320
306
299
294
292
290
286
283
282
279
278
274
266
255
244
244
237
233
233
232
231
228
226
222
209
209
207
206
206
205
204
202
199
197
195
194
194
193
193
192
192
189
187
185
180
179
178
178
175
175
169
162
162
149
146
145
145
144
143
141
136
136
133
132
129
127
126
126
123
123
121
119
118
113
111
108
106
106
103
101
100
99
99
93
93
90
88
84
82
81
79
79
78
77
77
74
70
68
64
64
63
63
62
61
61
60
59
58
57
56
54
52
51
50
47
42
41
40
39
32
25
23
12
9
0
150.3
300.5
450.8
601


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