Country rankings

Incarceration Rates by Country

Indonesia has the highest Prison Population in 2025 (276,136), followed by Mexico (255,190) and South Africa (166,008). Isle of Man has the lowest (160).

Law220 countries · 4 metricsUpdated Jan 30, 2026Original page
3 sources
56 of 235 countries
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Prison Population, 2025

Green is better, red is worse (lower is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 56 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
12,838
Middle half 2.7K – 63.1K
Average
37,976
56 countries
Lowest (best)
160
Isle of Man
Highest (worst)
276,136
Indonesia

Over time · 2000–2026

The top 5 in 2025, against the median.

  • Median of all countries
  • Isle of Man
  • Seychelles
  • New Caledonia
  • Mayotte
  • Guam

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

56 countries · # = rank by Prison Population
#
1Isle of Man160186 per 100k pop.
2Seychelles482392 per 100k pop.
3New Caledonia557186 per 100k pop.
4Mayotte629204 per 100k pop.
5Guam928530 per 100k pop.
6Guadeloupe985247 per 100k pop.
7French Guiana1,087321 per 100k pop.
8Martinique1,108298 per 100k pop.
9Cyprus1,123114 per 100k pop.
10Macau1,267185 per 100k pop.
11Belize1,308302 per 100k pop.
12Reunion1,576170 per 100k pop.
13Estonia1,618118 per 100k pop.
14Lesotho2,600117 per 100k pop.
15Mauritius2,754215 per 100k pop.
16Norway3,02754 per 100k pop.
17Liberia3,39860 per 100k pop.
18Eswatini4,500369 per 100k pop.
19Albania4,578196 per 100k pop.
20Ireland5,627101 per 100k pop.
21Moldova5,892255 per 100k pop.
22Switzerland6,99477 per 100k pop.
23Haiti7,16359 per 100k pop.
24Slovakia8,063149 per 100k pop.
25Hong Kong10,520139 per 100k pop.
26New Zealand10,860199 per 100k pop.
27Georgia11,055285 per 100k pop.
28Burundi12,52490 per 100k pop.
29Portugal13,152121 per 100k pop.
30Belgium13,483113 per 100k pop.
31Ghana14,13341 per 100k pop.
32Czechia19,553179 per 100k pop.
33Paraguay19,674259 per 100k pop.
34Romania24,628129 per 100k pop.
35Dominican Republic24,801219 per 100k pop.
36Panama24,860533 per 100k pop.
37Nepal29,48493 per 100k pop.
38Tunisia33,000267 per 100k pop.
39Ecuador36,980196 per 100k pop.
40Australia46,998170 per 100k pop.
41Cambodia57,000320 per 100k pop.
42Chile63,045329 per 100k pop.
43Taiwan63,157270 per 100k pop.
44Italy63,499108 per 100k pop.
45Poland69,561191 per 100k pop.
46Nigeria77,43833 per 100k pop.
47Bangladesh78,89446 per 100k pop.
48Uganda79,186150 per 100k pop.
49Malaysia84,143244 per 100k pop.
50France86,229126 per 100k pop.
51United Kingdom86,596138 per 100k pop.
52Peru103,478299 per 100k pop.
53Colombia103,952199 per 100k pop.
54South Africa166,008260 per 100k pop.
55Mexico255,190188 per 100k pop.
56Indonesia276,13696 per 100k pop.

What correlates with Prison Population (2025)?

Pearson r against 1,476 other country metrics sharing at least 34 countries. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Prison Population tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Tiktok UsersTikTok Users by Country
    r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 41
    Plot
  2. Chicken ConsumptionChicken Consumption by Country
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  3. Total Sugars and Sweeteners Available for ConsuptionSugar Consumption by Country
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  4. Methane Emissions from WasteMethane Emissions by Country
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 45
    Plot
  5. Total COVID19 Excess DeathsExcess Covid Deaths by Country
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 35
    Plot
  6. Facebook UsersFacebook Users by Country
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 56
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Prison Population tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Natural Environment Rank (US News)Most Environmentally Friendly CountriesA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.53 · strong · n = 35
    Plot
  2. Travelpass Cost per DayVerizon Travelpass Countries
    r = −0.52 · strong · n = 53
    Plot
  3. Global FirePower IndexMilitary Strength Index by Country
    r = −0.49 · moderate · n = 39
    Plot
  4. Average Men's Shoe Size (US sizes)Shoe Size by Country
    r = −0.47 · moderate · n = 40
    Plot
  5. Natural Environment Score (US News)Most Environmentally Friendly Countries
    r = −0.47 · moderate · n = 35
    Plot
  6. US News Comfortable Retirement RankingBest Countries to RetireA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.44 · moderate · n = 35
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Prison Population?
Indonesia has the highest Prison Population in 2025, at 276,136, followed by Mexico (255,190) and South Africa (166,008).
Which country has the lowest Prison Population?
Isle of Man has the lowest Prison Population in 2025, at 160.
What is the median Prison Population across countries?
The median is 12,838 across the 56 countries with data in 2025.
Where does this incarceration rates by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: World Prison Population List, 13th Edition - World Prison Brief; Prison population - Prison Studies; States of Incarceration - Prison Policy Initiative.

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