Appendix 2: Country Data
States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2021
by Emily Widra and Tiana Herring
September 2021
| Country | Incarceration rate | Violent crime rate |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 87 | n/a |
| Albania | 164 | 17 |
| Algeria | 153 | 199 |
| Angola | 89 | n/a |
| Argentina | 230 | 1,284 |
| Armenia | 74 | 19 |
| Australia | 160 | 438 |
| Austria | 95 | 124 |
| Azerbaijan | 208 | 11 |
| Bahrain | 234 | n/a |
| Bangladesh | 48 | n/a |
| Belarus | 345 | 42 |
| Belgium | 93 | 838 |
| Benin | 73 | n/a |
| Bhutan | 145 | 145 |
| Bolivia | 154 | 265 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina: Federation | 83 | n/a |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina: Republika Srpska | 46 | n/a |
| Botswana | 162 | 1,035 |
| Brazil | 357 | 1,137 |
| Bulgaria | 109 | 72 |
| Burkina Faso | 37 | n/a |
| Burundi | 82 | 70 |
| Cambodia | 233 | n/a |
| Cameroon | 85 | 41 |
| Canada | 104 | 310 |
| Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) | 296 | 1,892 |
| Central African Republic | 16 | n/a |
| Chad | 59 | n/a |
| Chile | 211 | 767 |
| China | 121 | n/a |
| Colombia | 192 | 583 |
| Comoros | 37 | n/a |
| Congo (Republic of) | 27 | n/a |
| Costa Rica | 374 | 1,945 |
| Cote d’Ivoire | 82 | n/a |
| Croatia | 84 | 52 |
| Cuba | 510 | n/a |
| Cyprus (Republic of) | 93 | 26 |
| Czech Republic | 177 | 74 |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 29 | n/a |
| Denmark | 72 | 154 |
| Djibouti | 71 | n/a |
| Dominican Republic | 239 | 170 |
| Ecuador | 224 | 582 |
| Egypt | 118 | 6 |
| El Salvador | 562 | 239 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 63 | n/a |
| Estonia | 173 | 43 |
| Eswatini | 277 | n/a |
| Ethiopia | 99 | n/a |
| Fiji | 274 | n/a |
| Finland | 53 | 115 |
| France | 93 | 596 |
| Gabon | 241 | n/a |
| Gambia | 31 | n/a |
| Georgia (Country) | 247 | n/a |
| Germany | 69 | 256 |
| Ghana | 42 | n/a |
| Greece | 107 | 60 |
| Guatemala | 139 | 121 |
| Guinea (Republic of) | 28 | n/a |
| Guinea Bissau | 10 | n/a |
| Guyana | 239 | 479 |
| Haiti | 100 | n/a |
| Honduras | 234 | 197 |
| Hong Kong (China) | 95 | 126 |
| Hungary | 171 | 145 |
| India | 35 | 41 |
| Indonesia | 100 | 11 |
| Iran | 228 | n/a |
| Iraq | 126 | n/a |
| Ireland, Republic of | 77 | 186 |
| Israel | 234 | 674 |
| Italy | 89 | 169 |
| Jamaica | 137 | 241 |
| Japan | 38 | 27 |
| Jordan | 198 | n/a |
| Kazakhstan | 157 | 80 |
| Kenya | 157 | 53 |
| Kosovo/Kosova | 81 | n/a |
| Kuwait | 93 | n/a |
| Kyrgyzstan | 111 | n/a |
| Laos | 161 | n/a |
| Latvia | 130 | 82 |
| Lebanon | 175 | 163 |
| Lesotho | 118 | n/a |
| Liberia | 92 | n/a |
| Libya | 51 | n/a |
| Lithuania | 139 | 57 |
| Luxembourg | 86 | 237 |
| Macau (China) | 232 | 308 |
| Madagascar | 99 | n/a |
| Malawi | 71 | n/a |
| Malaysia | 212 | n/a |
| Mali | 33 | n/a |
| Mauritania | 53 | n/a |
| Mauritius | 203 | 124 |
| Mexico | 166 | 282 |
| Moldova (Republic of) | 182 | n/a |
| Mongolia | 154 | 71 |
| Montenegro | 172 | 48 |
| Morocco | 238 | 479 |
| Mozambique | 63 | n/a |
| Myanmar (Burma) | 171 | 12 |
| Namibia | 295 | n/a |
| Nepal | 86 | n/a |
| Netherlands | 63 | 104 |
| New Zealand | 188 | 727 |
| Nicaragua | 332 | 873 |
| Niger | 47 | n/a |
| Nigeria | 31 | 46 |
| North Macedonia | 105 | n/a |
| Norway | 54 | 162 |
| Oman | 45 | 5 |
| Pakistan | 40 | 25 |
| Panama | 420 | 448 |
| Papua New Guinea | 62 | n/a |
| Paraguay | 241 | 111 |
| Peru | 269 | 345 |
| Philippines | 200 | n/a |
| Poland | 188 | 50 |
| Portugal | 111 | 147 |
| Qatar | 53 | n/a |
| Republic of (South) Korea | 105 | 137 |
| Reunion (France) | 118 | n/a |
| Romania | 118 | 27 |
| Russian Federation | 329 | 42 |
| Rwanda | 515 | 75 |
| Saudi Arabia | 207 | 16 |
| Senegal | 68 | 21 |
| Serbia | 152 | 40 |
| Sierra Leone | 47 | n/a |
| Singapore | 185 | 39 |
| Slovakia | 189 | 53 |
| Slovenia | 56 | 100 |
| Solomon Islands | 77 | n/a |
| South Africa | 248 | 750 |
| South Sudan | 50 | n/a |
| Spain | 122 | 208 |
| Sri Lanka | 135 | 63 |
| Sudan | 52 | n/a |
| Suriname | 183 | n/a |
| Sweden | 68 | 326 |
| Switzerland | 73 | 59 |
| Syria | 60 | n/a |
| Taiwan | 243 | n/a |
| Tajikistan | 83 | 57 |
| Tanzania | 59 | 30 |
| Thailand | 445 | 30 |
| Timor-Leste (East Timor) | 54 | n/a |
| Togo | 50 | n/a |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 276 | 305 |
| Tunisia | 194 | n/a |
| Turkey | 335 | 167 |
| Turkmenistan | 552 | n/a |
| Uganda | 142 | 90 |
| UK: England & Wales | 130 | n/a |
| UK: Northern Ireland | 72 | n/a |
| UK: Scotland | 136 | n/a |
| Ukraine | 129 | 59 |
| United Arab Emirates | 144 | n/a |
| United States | 664 | 379 |
| Uruguay | 372 | 608 |
| Uzbekistan | 68 | n/a |
| Venezuela | 134 | n/a |
| Vietnam | 128 | n/a |
| Yemen | 53 | n/a |
| Zambia | 123 | n/a |
| Zimbabwe | 127 | n/a |
Sources and methodology
- Incarceration rate
- Number of people confined per 100,000 residents of each country with a population greater than 500,000 people. Source: World Prison Brief, as of July 30, 2021.
- Violent crime rate
- Number of violent crimes per 100,000 residents calculated for countries with a population greater than 500,000 people and data available from the United Nations. Violent crime is defined as the cumulative rate of assault, robbery, sexual assault/rape, and homicide reported to law enforcement. Source: United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Data Tables for serious assault, robbery, homicide, and sexual violence. For more information on how and why we measured “violent crime,” see the "Violent crime" analysis and methodology section of the report.
