Countries with the Largest Prison Populations

The countries holding the largest total number of prisoners, according to the World Prison Brief. Unlike the incarceration rate, this counts absolute numbers, so large-population countries dominate. China's figure excludes pre-trial detaine...

About This Dataset

Countries with the Largest Prison Populations
The countries holding the largest total number of prisoners, according to the World Prison Brief. Unlike the incarceration rate, this counts absolute numbers, so large-population countries dominate. China's figure excludes pre-trial detainees and people held in administrative detention, so its true total is likely higher.
✨ AI Insight

The United States holds the world's largest prison population at over 1.8 million people, narrowly ahead of China's 1.69 million - and China's official count excludes large numbers of pre-trial and administratively detained people, so the two may be closer or reversed. Together the US and China account for more prisoners than the next ten countries combined. Brazil (850K) and India (573K) form a clear third tier, reflecting their large populations and overburdened justice systems. Russia (282K), Thailand (274K), Indonesia (274K) and Mexico (234K) follow. Because these are raw totals, populous countries naturally rank high; the United States is notable for topping both this list and the per-capita incarceration ranking among major nations.

Source:  World Prison Brief (Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research)

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

🏆
United States leads with 1,808,100 in All Time.
📊
Average value in All Time: 550,751  ·  median: 273,909.
↔️
Gap in All Time: United States is 15.1× larger than Egypt.

Countries with the Largest Prison Populations

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Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Admin
⬡
Data Points
12
12 categories  ·  1 year
↑
Top Value
1,808,100
United States
Total Prison Population · All Time
◈
Metrics
1
Total Prison Population
◷
Period
All Time
Single year snapshot

Category Rankings

Total Prison Population · All Time

# Category All Time
🥇 United States 1,808,100
🥈 China 1,690,000
🥉 Brazil 850,377
4 India 573,220
5 Russia 282,000
6 Thailand 274,277
7 Indonesia 273,541
8 Mexico 233,687
9 Iran 189,000
10 Philippines 180,826
11 Vietnam 133,986
12 Egypt 120,000
Statistical Summary — Total Prison Population · All Time
1,808,100
Maximum
120,000
Minimum
550,751
Average
273,909
Median

What This Data Shows

Auto-generated trend summaries per category

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United States
Recorded 1,808,100 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source
→
China
Recorded 1,690,000 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source
→
Brazil
Recorded 850,377 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source
→
India
Recorded 573,220 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source
→
Russia
Recorded 282,000 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source
→
Thailand
Recorded 274,277 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source
→
Indonesia
Recorded 273,541 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source
→
Mexico
Recorded 233,687 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source
→
Iran
Recorded 189,000 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source
→
Philippines
Recorded 180,826 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source
→
Vietnam
Recorded 133,986 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source
→
Egypt
Recorded 120,000 Total Prison Population in All Time.
Source

Full Data Table

12 records across 1 year

✓ 12 sourced
Category Metric All Time Source
United States Total Prison Population 1,808,100
China Total Prison Population 1,690,000
Brazil Total Prison Population 850,377
India Total Prison Population 573,220
Russia Total Prison Population 282,000
Thailand Total Prison Population 274,277
Indonesia Total Prison Population 273,541
Mexico Total Prison Population 233,687
Iran Total Prison Population 189,000
Philippines Total Prison Population 180,826
Vietnam Total Prison Population 133,986
Egypt Total Prison Population 120,000

Data Sources & References

All external sources cited in this dataset

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