Data extracted in April 2026
Planned article update: May 2027
Highlights
This article presents European statistics on prisoners.
One prisoner per 883 inhabitants in the EU in 2024
There was 1 prisoner per 883 inhabitants in the EU in 2024, or 113 prisoners per 100 000 slightly more than in 2023, when the rate was 111. In 2024, the highest prisoner rate per 100 000 in the EU was in Hungary (193), followed by Poland (191), Latvia (187) and Czechia (178). The lowest rate was in Finland (57), followed by the Netherlands (67), and Denmark and Germany (each 70) (Figure 1).
An increase in the number of prisoners from 2021 to 2024
There were around 509 000 prisoners in the EU in 2024, which is 8.0% less than in 2012, when there were around 553 000 prisoners, the highest number since 1993 (Figure 2). After a period of stability in 2017-2019, there was a decrease of 6.6% in the number of prisoners in 2020, probably due to COVID-19 related measures, followed by a 9.8% total increase from 2021 to 2024.
In 2024, 1 out of 18 adult prisoners were women
In 2024, in the EU 1 out of 18 adult prisoners were women, which translates to 5.5% out of total prison population – almost the same as in 2023 (5.4%).
The share of women in prisons varies between EU countries (Figure 3). In 2024, the highest share was observed in Hungary (8.7%), followed by Czechia (8.6%), Malta (8.4%), and Sweden (7.9%). The lowest share was in France (3.4%) followed by Belgium (4.1%), and Bulgaria (4.3%).
One in 5 prisoners had a foreign citizenship in the reporting country in 2024
In 2024, 1 in 5 prisoners in the EU had a foreign citizenship in the reporting country. In EU countries, the percentage of detainees with a foreign citizenship in the reporting country (21.4%) was slightly higher than in 2023 (20.7%). The share of prisoners with a foreign citizenship varies between EU countries (Figure 4). The highest share was observed in Luxembourg (75.8%), followed by Cyprus (54.0%) and Austria (53.0%). The lowest share was in Romania (1.1%) followed by Bulgaria (3.2%), and Poland (3.7%).
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
Data sources for prison statistics are national authorities such as prison administration or the national statistical institute. Eurostat collects prison data together with the yearly UN global crime statistics. All results presented in this article are based on official figures.
When EU totals are calculated to indicate an overall trend, missing figures for countries are estimated with the last available year (of the same country). The EU value of the unsentenced detainees percentage is calculated on responding countries in the web database. Other EU totals presented in this article are not disseminated in the web database. The national figures are presented in the web database as reported (no adjustments).
Context
In general, each country is responsible for its own criminal laws, criminal justice policies, as well as specifications for relevant statistics. Typically, official statistics on crime and criminal justice are made for administrative purposes and used by national authorities.
Prison statistics are part of official statistics on crime and criminal justice, relating indirectly to crime occurrence and the performance of the criminal justice system.
The number of prisoners (counted at the end of a year) depends on:
- the number in the previous year,
- how many were convicted and actually imprisoned during the year,
- how many left prison during the year: released, pardoned, died, escaped, etc.
The trend in prisoner number depends on:
- how many crimes are brought to court,
- how many are convicted, and actually sentenced to prison,
- length of sentences received, and the actual duration,
- alternative sanctions, early release, amnesties, pardons, etc.,
- law changes, for which types of crime imprisonment is prescribed, and for how long.