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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.

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