Number of prisoners in England and Wales 1900-2022, by gender

There were approximately 76, 226 males and almost 3,216 females in prisons in England and Wales in 2022. Compared with the previous year this represented an increase for both males and females. Since 1900 the year with the highest number of prisoners was 2012 when there were over 86,600 people imprisoned.

Demographics of prisoners

In 2020, there were over 26.1 thousand prisoners in their 30s, the most of any age group. In this year there were also 625 prisoners who were aged between 15 and 17, with a further 4.1 thousand prisoners who were aged between 18 and 20. In terms of the ethnicity of prisoners in England and Wales, 59 thousand people in jail were white, while a further 10 thousand were black.

Prison officers at a six-year high

The 22.6 thousand prison officers working in England and Wales in 2019 was the most since 2012 when there were 22.7 thousand. The number of prison officers working in England and Wales slightly decreased in 2020, reaching 21.93 thousand. The year with the lowest number of prison officers was 2015 when there were just 18.2 thousand, 7 thousand fewer than there were in 2010. This decrease was the direct result of austerity measures pursued by the coalition government of the time.