While fewer women than men are incarcerated, their numbers are rising faster and most often for non-violent offences
Experts warn of ‘global crisis’ as number of women in prison nears one million
More than 733,000 women and girls are held in penal institutions globally, according to the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research, either as pre-trial detainees or remand prisoners, or having been convicted and sentenced. The actual total is thought to be much higher, as figures for five countries are not available and those for China are incomplete.
Women are always a minority in national prison populations – only 2-9% on average – and in 2024 women and girls made up just 6.8% of the global prison population. However, their numbers are growing and at a faster rate than those of men.
Since 2000, the number of women and girls in prison has grown by almost 60% – nearly three times the increase in the male prison population of about 22%. The global female prison population increased by more than 100,000 in the 10 years to the end of 2020.
