30 Countries Bursting at the Seams With Prisoners, USA Ranks High
The American prison system is a deeply debated issue. According to Statista, approximately 1.8 million people were incarcerated in the U.S. at the end of 2023. While some Americans advocate abolishing mass incarceration, others want to see criminals serve longer sentences.
These numbers may seem large at first glance. But where does the U.S. rank alongside other countries’ prison populations?
Statista gathered data to rank the countries with the largest number of prisoners. You might be surprised to learn where the U.S. stands.
Measuring Incarceration Rates
Statista took data from the World Prison Brief created by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research to rank the 30 countries with the largest number of prisoners. The 2024 results show the number of incarcerations per 100,000 people in each country.
According to an Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research report from 2021, approximately 10 million people were incarcerated worldwide. There’s been a rise in prisoner rates in some parts of the world. South America, for example, tripled its incarceration size between 2000 and 2021.
With prisoner rates increasing in certain parts of the world, where does the U.S. fall on the list of countries with the largest number of prisoners?
1. El Salvador
Number of prisoners: 1,086 per 100,000 residents
2. Cuba
Number of prisoners: 794 per 100,000 residents
3. Rwanda
Number of prisoners: 637 per 100,000 residents
4. Turkmenistan
Number of prisoners: 576 per 100,000 residents
5. America Samoa
Number of prisoners: 538 per 100,000 residents
6. United States
Number of prisoners: 531 per 100,000 residents
7. Panama
Number of prisoners: 499 per 100,000 residents
8. Guam
Number of prisoners: 475 per 100,000 residents
9. Palau
Number of prisoners: 428 per 100,000 residents
10. Uruguay
Number of prisoners: 424 per 100,000 residents
11. Seychelles
Number of prisoners: 413 per 100,000 residents
12. Bahamas
Number of prisoners: 409 per 100,000 residents
13. Turkey
Number of prisoners: 400 per 100,000 residents
14. Brazil
Number of prisoners: 390 per 100,000 residents
15. Thailand
Number of prisoners: 377 per 100,000 residents
16. UK Virgin Islands
Number of prisoners: 368 per 100,000 residents
17. Cabo Verde
Number of prisoners: 366 per 100,000 residents
18. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Number of prisoners: 353 per 100,000 residents
19. Dominica
Number of prisoners: 348 per 100,000 residents
20. US Virgin Islands
Number of prisoners: 345 per 100,000 residents
21. Belarus
Number of prisoners: 345 per 100,000 residents
Note: Belarus ties with the US Virgin Islands.
22. Grenada
Number of prisoners: 335 per 100,000 residents
23. Nicaragua
Number of prisoners: 332 per 100,000 residents
24. Namibia
Number of prisoners: 318 per 100,000 residents
25. Maldives
Number of prisoners: 314 per 100,000 residents
26. French Guiana
Number of prisoners: 305 per 100,000 residents
27. Costa Rica
Number of prisoners: 301 per 100,000 residents
28. Russian Federation
Number of prisoners: 300 per 100,000 residents
29. St. Kitts and Nevis
Number of prisoners: 296 per 100,000 residents
30. Belize
Number of prisoners: 289 per 100,000 residents
The World’s Largest Prison
El Salvador not only has the largest number of prisoners; it also holds another major distinction. The Latin American country is home to the world’s largest prison, which opened in February 2023. The prison, called the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism, can hold approximately 40,000 prisoners and is operated by a guard force of 650 people.
El Salvador’s need for this prison is said to be due to the extensive gang network operating there. President Nayib Bukele promised to detain as many criminals as possible, making constitutional exceptions to accomplish the task. It’s reported that the facility will also become the world’s most overcrowded prison.
America’s Large Incarceration Rate
The United States has the sixth highest number of prisoners worldwide, with nearly 2 million people behind bars. The prison system costs the U.S. approximately $182 million per year.
Some advocates have suggested that overturning drug convictions in the U.S. would greatly reduce the American prison population. Approximately 20% of incarcerated people are there for drug offenses.
The History of Prisons
The origins of prisons go back to 1000 BC with Mesopotamia and Egypt setting up holding cells for offenders who were sentenced to death or slavery. In the U.S., the country’s first penitentiary opened in 1790, which tried to create a larger, safer, and more sanitary space for prisoners.
Alcatraz, one of history’s most infamous high-security prisons, opened on an island in the San Francisco Bay in 1934. In 1989, California also opened the first supermax prison, which confines its prisoners to their cells for about 22 hours each day.
The rate of mass incarcerations rose drastically starting in the 1970s, with U.S. prisoners increasing from 161 per 100,000 residents to 767 per 100,000 between 1972 and 2007.
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