Top 10 · safety
Top 10 countries with the lowest prisoner population
People held in prison per 100,000 population. UNODC (prisons & prisoners) data, each country's latest year, 2004–2023, covering 192 countries.
The top 10
1st of 192 · 2023
Vatican City0 per 100k
- 2ndYemen11 per 100k
- 3rdSomalia15 per 100k
- 4thGambia21 per 100k
- 5thRepublic of the Congo25 per 100k
- 6thSan Marino26 per 100k
- 7thNigeria32 per 100k
- 8thGuinea-Bissau32 per 100k
- 9thJapan32 per 100k
- 10thMonaco33 per 100k
The other end · bottom 5 of 192
- 188thSaint Kitts and Nevis537 per 100k
- 189thEl Salvador597 per 100k
- 190thDominica610 per 100k
- 191stRwanda621 per 100k
- 192ndCuba805 per 100k
Where the big countries land
- 185thUnited States529 per 100k
- 17thIndia40 per 100k
- 45thGermany70 per 100k
- 179thBrazil399 per 100k
Common questions
Questions people ask about incarceration rate
Which country has the lowest prisoner population?
Vatican City ranks 1st of 192 countries at 0 per 100k (2023 data). Source: UNODC (prisons & prisoners).
Which countries are in the top 10 for incarceration rate?
The top 10 are Vatican City, Yemen, Somalia, Gambia, Republic of the Congo, San Marino, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Japan and Monaco — computed from UNODC (prisons & prisoners) data, each country's latest year, 2004–2023.
Where does the United States rank in incarceration rate?
The United States ranks 185th of 192 countries at 529 per 100k (2022 data). Source: UNODC (prisons & prisoners).
What is the median incarceration rate worldwide?
Across the 192 countries covered, the median is 121 per 100k. Values run from 0 per 100k (Vatican City, ranked 1st) to 805 per 100k (Cuba, ranked 192nd).
Is incarceration rate higher in Europe or the US?
The median across 46 European countries is 112 per 100k, against 529 per 100k in the United States — it is higher in the US. Source: UNODC (prisons & prisoners).
Which country has the highest incarceration rate?
Cuba sits at the other end of the list: 805 per 100k ranks 192nd of 192 (2020 data). Source: UNODC (prisons & prisoners).
Keep ranking
Keep exploring
More on safety
- Homicide rateDeaths by assault per 100,000 population.
- Gun deathsFirearm deaths per 100,000 population, all intents (homicide, suicide, accident).
- Road deathsRoad traffic fatalities per 100,000 population.
- Robbery ratePolice-recorded robberies per 100,000 population.
- Police officersPolice personnel per 100,000 population.
- Life expectancyPeriod life expectancy at birth.
Who leads the world
- Monacotops life expectancy86.5 years
- Singaporetops homicide rate0.1 per 100k
- Bulgariatops paid maternity leave59 weeks
Vatican City leads on incarceration rate — see where it lands on every other measure, and which US state it most resembles.
From the blog: Why the UK has no incarceration number · WHO, UNODC, and the problem of counting deaths
All 68 measures →Every country ranked →Every US state →All the Top 10s →The overall board →How we read the data →