Country rankings

Political Prisoners by Country

Syria has the highest Estimated # of Political Prisoners (136,614), followed by Egypt (70,000) and Myanmar (22,197). Serbia has the lowest (6).

Politics & Government29 countries · 3 metricsUpdated Jul 11, 2025Original page
34 sources
Estimated # of Political PrisonersBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
28 of 235 countries
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Estimated # of Political Prisoners

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All 28 ranked

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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
700
Middle half 94 – 2.7K
Average
10,225
28 countries
Lowest (best)
6
Romania
Highest (worst)
136,614
Syria

Data

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28 countries · # = rank by Estimated # of Political Prisoners
#
1Romania6
1Serbia6
3Thailand43
4Nicaragua45
5Georgia51
6Indonesia63
7Nigeria76
8United States100
9Azerbaijan122
10Vietnam170
11Mexico200
12Bolivia279
13Bahrain340
14Tajikistan400
15Belarus1,000
16Cuba1,105
17Venezuela1,196
18China1,300
19Russia1,500
20Ethiopia1,610
21Hong Kong1,934
22Saudi Arabia5,000
23Israel10,400
24Iran15,000
25Turkey15,539
26Myanmar22,197
27Egypt70,000
28Syria136,614

What correlates with Estimated # of Political Prisoners?

Pearson r against 1,673 other country metrics sharing at least 17 countries. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Estimated # of Political Prisoners tend to score higher on these

  1. International Refugees OriginatedRefugees by Country
    r = +0.87 · very strong · n = 26
    Plot
  2. Mortgage as a % of IncomeAffordable Housing by Country
    r = +0.80 · very strong · n = 23
    Plot
  3. Housing Price to Income RatioAffordable Housing by Country
    r = +0.76 · very strong · n = 23
    Plot
  4. Total Refugees HarboredRefugees by Country
    r = +0.75 · very strong · n = 25
    Plot
  5. Depressive Disorder RateDepression Rates by Country
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 26
    Plot
  6. Marriage Rage - WikiMarriage Rates by Country
    r = +0.70 · very strong · n = 20
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Estimated # of Political Prisoners tend to score lower on these

  1. Absence of Legal Discrimination (0 to 100)Most Dangerous Countries for Women
    r = −0.65 · strong · n = 28
    Plot
  2. Inclusive SocietySocial Progress Index by Country
    r = −0.62 · strong · n = 27
    Plot
  3. Workforce Participation WomenWorkforce Participation by Country
    r = −0.61 · strong · n = 28
    Plot
  4. Female ParticipationLabor Force Participation Rate by Country
    r = −0.60 · strong · n = 28
    Plot
  5. GFSI Score Change (2012-2022)Food Self Sufficiency Rate by Country
    r = −0.59 · strong · n = 24
    Plot
  6. Women, Peace and Security Index (WPSI)Most Dangerous Countries for Women
    r = −0.58 · strong · n = 27
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Estimated # of Political Prisoners?
Syria has the highest Estimated # of Political Prisoners, at 136,614, followed by Egypt (70,000) and Myanmar (22,197).
Which country has the lowest Estimated # of Political Prisoners?
Serbia has the lowest Estimated # of Political Prisoners, at 6.
What is the median Estimated # of Political Prisoners across countries?
The median is 700 across the 28 countries with data.
Where does this political prisoners by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Political prisoners by country - Wiki; The 3,300 political prisoners in Latin America - Latinoamerica21; 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bolivia - US Department of State; Union for the Freedom for Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan - US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

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