Incarceration

Over 11 million people are incarcerated around the world; many of these individuals are in pre-trial detention. Every nation has a penal system, though their jails and prisons differ in population density and conditions of confinement. According to the World Population Review, as of 2022, the ten countries with most (reported) people in prison are the United States (2,068,800); China (1,690,000), Brazil (811,707), India (478,600), Russia (471,490), Thailand (309,282), Turkey (291,198), Indonesia (266,259), Mexico (220,866), and Iran (189,000).

This page highlights national incarceration rates and the growing practice of public-private partnerships for prison administration.