Amid mounting complaints of rising violence and overcrowding across European prisons, the number of prisoners in the EU increased by 2% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the latest figures from Eurostat.
In 2024, there was one prisoner for every 883 inhabitants in the EU, with the highest rates found in Hungary, Poland, Latvia, and Czechia.
Only one in 18 adult prisoners was female, and one in five prisoners across the bloc had a foreign citizenship in their reporting country in 2024.
On the other hand, the lowest prisoner rates were observed in Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany.
Meanwhile, the number of personnel, including police officers, judges, and prison staff, also increased in 2024.
