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Incarceration rates in OECD countries as of 2018
Incarceration rates in OECD countries as of 2018
Incarceration rates in OECD countries as of 2018
This statistic shows the incarceration rate in OECD countries, as of May 2018. The incarceration rate represents the number of people in prison per 100,000 of population. As of May 2018, the incarceration rate in the United States was 655 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents.
Additional information on incarceration patterns between countries
The relatively large population of the United States when compared with other OECD countries in conjunction with the country’s extremely high incarceration rate means that the United States houses more than one half of the global prison population. Recent attention has been focused on the number of people imprisoned for minor offences. As such, a large proportion of the United States prison population have been incarcerated for offences that would see them fined or punished through alternative means in other developed countries.
Among this cohort are a significant number of people imprisoned for low-level drug related crimes. Critics have suggested that shifting policy toward drug rehabilitation for users and a focus on high level drug traffickers would have a positive societal effect whilst also lowering the country’s incarceration rate.
When removing the outlier of the United States, a level of variance between countries is apparent. This variance in incarceration rates among OECD countries suggests cultural differences in societal views towards punishment and rehabilitation. The Scandinavian preference of rehabilitation and the subsequently higher level of investment in such programs have resulted in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland ranking among those countries for whom the incarceration rate is the lowest.
Incarceration rates in OECD countries as of 2018
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| Country | Incarceration rate per 100,000 of national population |
|---|---|
| United States | 655 |
| Turkey | 287 |
| Israel | 265 |
| Chile | 233 |
| New Zealand | 220 |
| Czech Republic | 209 |
| Estonia | 202 |
| Poland | 199 |
| Slovakia | 188 |
| Hungary | 184 |
| Australia | 167 |
| Mexico | 165 |
| United Kingdom: England & Wales | 141 |
| United Kingdom: Scotland | 138 |
| Portugal | 129 |
| Spain | 126 |
| Luxembourg | 115 |
| Canada | 114 |
| South Korea | 114 |
| France | 102 |
| Italy | 96 |
| Belgium | 94 |
| Austria | 94 |
| Greece | 93 |
| Switzerland | 82 |
| Ireland | 81 |
| Germany | 78 |
| United Kingdom: Northern Ireland | 77 |
| Norway | 74 |
| Slovenia | 64 |
| Netherlands | 59 |
| Denmark | 59 |
| Finland | 57 |
| Sweden | 57 |
| Japan | 45 |
| Iceland | 38 |
| Country | Incarceration rate per 100,000 of national population |
|---|---|
| United States | 655 |
| Turkey | 287 |
| Israel | 265 |
| Chile | 233 |
| New Zealand | 220 |
| Czech Republic | 209 |
| Estonia | 202 |
| Poland | 199 |
| Slovakia | 188 |
| Hungary | 184 |
| Australia | 167 |
| Mexico | 165 |
| United Kingdom: England & Wales | 141 |
| United Kingdom: Scotland | 138 |
| Portugal | 129 |
| Spain | 126 |
| Luxembourg | 115 |
| Canada | 114 |
| South Korea | 114 |
| France | 102 |
| Italy | 96 |
| Belgium | 94 |
| Austria | 94 |
| Greece | 93 |
| Switzerland | 82 |
| Ireland | 81 |
| Germany | 78 |
| United Kingdom: Northern Ireland | 77 |
| Norway | 74 |
| Slovenia | 64 |
| Netherlands | 59 |
| Denmark | 59 |
| Finland | 57 |
| Sweden | 57 |
| Japan | 45 |
| Iceland | 38 |
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This statistic shows the incarceration rate in OECD countries, as of May 2018. The incarceration rate represents the number of people in prison per 100,000 of population. As of May 2018, the incarceration rate in the United States was 655 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents.
Additional information on incarceration patterns between countries
The relatively large population of the United States when compared with other OECD countries in conjunction with the country’s extremely high incarceration rate means that the United States houses more than one half of the global prison population. Recent attention has been focused on the number of people imprisoned for minor offences. As such, a large proportion of the United States prison population have been incarcerated for offences that would see them fined or punished through alternative means in other developed countries.
Among this cohort are a significant number of people imprisoned for low-level drug related crimes. Critics have suggested that shifting policy toward drug rehabilitation for users and a focus on high level drug traffickers would have a positive societal effect whilst also lowering the country’s incarceration rate.
When removing the outlier of the United States, a level of variance between countries is apparent. This variance in incarceration rates among OECD countries suggests cultural differences in societal views towards punishment and rehabilitation. The Scandinavian preference of rehabilitation and the subsequently higher level of investment in such programs have resulted in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland ranking among those countries for whom the incarceration rate is the lowest.
Show moreAdditional information on incarceration patterns between countries
The relatively large population of the United States when compared with other OECD countries in conjunction with the country’s extremely high incarceration rate means that the United States houses more than one half of the global prison population. Recent attention has been focused on the number of people imprisoned for minor offences. As such, a large proportion of the United States prison population have been incarcerated for offences that would see them fined or punished through alternative means in other developed countries.
Among this cohort are a significant number of people imprisoned for low-level drug related crimes. Critics have suggested that shifting policy toward drug rehabilitation for users and a focus on high level drug traffickers would have a positive societal effect whilst also lowering the country’s incarceration rate.
When removing the outlier of the United States, a level of variance between countries is apparent. This variance in incarceration rates among OECD countries suggests cultural differences in societal views towards punishment and rehabilitation. The Scandinavian preference of rehabilitation and the subsequently higher level of investment in such programs have resulted in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland ranking among those countries for whom the incarceration rate is the lowest.
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- Release date
- May 2018
- Region
- Worldwide
- Survey time period
- As of May, 2018
Source
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- Release date
- May 2018
More information
- Region
- Worldwide
- Survey time period
- As of May, 2018
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- Share of condemned individuals doing community work in Italy in 2016, by crime committed
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- Perceived and actual occupancy level of prisons in India as of October 2018
- Alternatives to incarceration in Italy in 2018
- Total number of volunteers working in the Italian prisons from 2010 to 2017
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- Number of people sentenced to imprisonment in Australia in 2018, by crime committed
- Criminal history profile of prisoners under sentence of death in the U.S. in 2013, by ethnicity
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