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Ranked: The Top Countries by Prison Population
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Key Takeaways
- China has the largest number of prisoners in the world, standing at nearly two million inmates.
- America ranks in second globally, with incarceration rates of 614 per 100,000 people, the highest among developed economies by far.
America has one of the world’s largest prison populations, with an estimated 1.7 million people in confinement.
Going further, America’s incarceration rate is the fourth-highest in the world. Despite being a developed economy, its prison population is more than double that of Russia, India, and Brazil combined.
This graphic shows the countries with the most prisoners, based on data from the Prison Policy Initiative.
Breaking Down Countries by Prison Population
Below, we show the countries with the highest estimated prison population, with figures extrapolated from their most recent incarceration rates.
| Rank | Country | Incarceration Rate Per 100,000 People | Estimated Prison Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 165 | 1,952,658 |
| 2 | United States | 614 | 1,726,496 |
| 3 | Brazil | 390 | 664,204 |
| 4 | India | 41 | 448,400 |
| 5 | Russia | 300 | 356,201 |
| 6 | Türkiye | 366 | 245,864 |
| 7 | Thailand | 377 | 230,337 |
| 8 | Indonesia | 93 | 198,793 |
| 9 | Mexico | 174 | 171,890 |
| 10 | Iran | 228 | 161,924 |
| 11 | Philippines | 162 | 135,368 |
| 12 | South Africa | 258 | 122,394 |
| 13 | Vietnam | 135 | 104,671 |
| 14 | Egypt | 116 | 91,933 |
| 15 | Argentina | 254 | 90,993 |
| 16 | United Kingdom | 146 | 83,701 |
| 17 | Colombia | 198 | 83,487 |
| 18 | Ethiopia | 99 | 79,673 |
| 19 | Morocco | 270 | 76,464 |
| 20 | Myanmar | 183 | 75,499 |
| 21 | Cuba | 794 | 73,846 |
| 22 | Peru | 277 | 72,063 |
| 23 | Algeria | 217 | 70,777 |
| 24 | Bangladesh | 50 | 62,492 |
| 25 | France | 109 | 62,357 |
| 26 | Poland | 199 | 61,974 |
| 27 | Pakistan | 38 | 60,455 |
| 28 | Malaysia | 217 | 60,350 |
| 29 | Rwanda | 637 | 56,885 |
| 30 | Saudi Arabia | 207 | 55,667 |
| 31 | Italy | 105 | 54,570 |
| 32 | Iraq | 179 | 52,267 |
| 33 | El Salvador | 1,086 | 51,758 |
With nearly two million prisoners, China ranks first globally.
In China, many inmates are political prisoners, including Uyghur ethnic minorities. Since 2017, hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs have been detained, along with their communities being subject to surveillance and forced labor.
America follows next, with incarceration rates of 614 per 100,000 people—more than three times higher than in China. This figure jumps significantly in southern states, with Louisiana’s standing at 1,067 per 100,000 people—second only to El Salvador in the world if it were considered a nation.
Ranking third is Brazil, with an estimated 664,000 inmates. The country’s prisons are notoriously overcrowded—some facilities in Rio de Janeiro operate at nearly 190% capacity. Russia also stands among the top five, with roughly 356,000 inmates, a country known for its highly corrupt justice system.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the cost per prisoner by U.S. state.