Incarcerated refers to the state of being confined in prison. One is incarcerated usually as the punishment for a crime. There is always a prison system of sorts in every country. However, the exact nature of that system varies from country to country. Not only the exact nature of that system, the number of prisoners incarcerated within it also varies.
What country has the highest incarceration rate in the world? Can you guess which one? Is it your country? Find out the answer to the question below.
According to World Population Review, the country that has the highest incarceration rate in the world is the United States with 629 people per 100,000. Did you guess it right? If you did then you got 100 points.
Not only known as the country with the highest incarceration rate in the world, the United States also tops the list of the countries with the most people in prison with more than 2 million prisoners nationwide as per data released by World Prison Brief in October 2021. For your information, the number is equivalent to roughly 25% of the total prison population in the world.
There are a few reasons that make the United States the country with the highest incarceration rate. According to Senior Advisor of President Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, these factors include:
- The lack of investment in schools and economic opportunity
- The draconian drug laws and bail policies that criminalize poverty
- He inadequate reentry services and employment discrimination against those who have been incarcerated
If you are wondering about the incarcerated rate of the other countries, here is the full list of the countries with incarcerated rates, including the United States:
- United States: 629
- Rwanda: 580
- Turkmenistan: 576
- El Salvador: 564
- Cuba: 510
- Palau: 478
- British Virgin Islands: 477
- Thailand: 445
- Panama: 434
- Saint Kitts and Nevis: 423
- Grenada: 413
- United States Virgin Islands: 394
- Bahamas: 392
- Uruguay: 383
- Brazil: 381
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 369
- Anguilla: 367
- Guam: 355
- Turkey: 347
- Belarus: 345
- American Samoa: 345
- Maldives: 333
- Nicaragua: 332
- Russia: 326
- Northern Mariana Islands: 313
- Cayman Islands: 312
- Costa Rica: 298
- Cape Verde: 296
- Barbados: 296
- Namibia: 295
- Seychelles: 287
- Puerto Rico: 278
- Eswatini: 277
- Trinidad and Tobago: 276
- Dominica: 276
- Fiji: 274
- Gibraltar: 273
- Saint Lucia: 268
- Peru: 259
- Belize: 258
- Georgia: 253
- South Africa: 248
- Argentina: 243
- Gabon: 241
- Dominican Republic: 239
- Guyana: 239
- Curacao: 236
- Honduras: 234
- Israel: 234
- Bahrain: 234
- Cambodia: 233
- Morocco: 232
- French Guiana: 229
- Iran: 228
- Macau: 225
- Greenland: 225
- Ecuador: 224
- Cook Islands: 224
- Taiwan: 219
- Antigua and Barbuda: 216
- Malaysia: 212
- Chile: 212
- Azerbaijan: 210
- Saudi Arabia: 207
- Paraguay: 205
- Mauritius: 205
- Martinique: 205
- French Polynesia: 205
- Samoa: 202
- Bermuda: 200
- Tunisia: 197
- Colombia: 193
- Poland: 190
- Slovakia: 189
- Brunei: 186
- Singapore: 185
- Suriname: 185
- Lithuania: 184
- Mongolia: 183
- Moldova: 181
- New Caledonia: 181
- Albania: 179
- Sint Maarten: 179
- Kazakhstan: 177
- Czech Republic: 177
- Jordan: 174
- Hungary: 172
- Myanmar: 171
- Guadeloupe: 170
- Mexico: 169
- Estonia: 168
- Australia: 167
- Tonga: 166
- Latvia: 165
- Aruba: 165
- New Zealand: 164
- Botswana: 162
- Kyrgyzstan: 161
- Malta: 159
- Bolivia: 157
- Serbia: 154
- Algeria: 154
- Philippines: 151
- Mayotte: 151
- Iraq: 145
- Bhutan: 145
- Uganda: 142
- Ukraine: 140
- Nauru: 140
- Libya: 139
- Montenegro: 139
- Guatemala: 136
- Sri Lanka: 135
- Vietnam: 130
- Laos: 130
- Jamaica: 130
- Micronesia: 127
- Isle of Man: 125
- Zambia: 123
- Romania: 120
- China: 119
- France: 119
- Egypt: 118
- Zimbabwe: 115
- Sao Tome and Principe: 115
- Spain: 113
- Venezuela: 113
- Portugal: 113
- Kiribati: 113
- Kuwait: 111
- Tuvalu: 110
- South Korea: 105
- Canada: 104
- United Arab Emirates: 104
- Greece: 103
- North Macedonia: 103
- Haiti: 100
- Ethiopia: 99
- Madagascar: 99
- Lebanon: 98
- Croatia: 98
- Indonesia: 97
- Hong Kong: 96
- Belgium: 93
- Bulgaria: 93
- Lesotho: 92
- Italy: 91
- Austria:91
- Angola: 89
- Burundi: 86
- Luxembourg: 86
- Vanuatu: 86
- Nepal: 85
- Cameroon: 85
- Tajikistan: 83
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: 83
- Ivory Coast: 82
- Kenya: 81
- Cyprus: 80
- Solomon Islands: 79
- Andorra: 78
- Afghanistan: 77
- Ireland: 75
- Benin: 73
- Sweden: 73
- Switzerland: 73
- Denmark: 72
- Armenia: 72
- Malawi: 71
- Djibouti: 71
- Germany: 70
- Uzbekistan: 68
- Senegal: 68
- Marshall Islands: 66
- Slovenia: 64
- Equatorial Guinea: 63
- Syria: 60
- Netherlands: 60
- Chad: 59
- Papua New Guinea: 58
- Mozambique: 57
- Norway: 56
- Timor Leste: 54
- Qatar: 53
- Tanzania: 52
- Sudan: 52
- Liberia: 51
- South Sudan: 50
- Togo: 50
- Finland: 50
- Bangladesh: 48
- Sierra Leone: 47
- Mauritania: 47
- Oman: 45
- Ghana: 42
- Niger: 39
- Pakistan: 37
- Japan: 37
- Burkina Faso: 37
- Comoros: 37
- India: 35
- Yemen: 35
- Mali: 34
- Monaco: 34
- Nigeria: 32
- Guinea Bissau: 31
- Liechtenstein: 31
- Guinea: 30
- DR Congo: 29
- Iceland: 29
- Republic of the Congo: 27
- Gambia: 23
- Faroe Islands: 18
- Central African Republic: 16
- North Korea: Unknown
- Somalia: Unknown
- Eritrea: Unknown
- San Marino: 0
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
