Brazil vs Uruguay: Prison population rate
Brazil
416 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2024
Uruguay
449 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2024
Brazil rank
13th
Uruguay rank
11th
Prison population rate over time
- Brazil
- Uruguay
How they compare
Uruguay currently reports 449 prisoners per 100,000 people against 416 prisoners per 100,000 people in Brazil, a difference of 33 prisoners per 100,000 people.
That makes Uruguay's figure about 1.1 times Brazil's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 12 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Uruguay ahead.
Brazil ranks 13th and Uruguay ranks 11th of 202 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 1 and Uruguay in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | Uruguay | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 176.8 prisoners per 100,000 people | 189.4 prisoners per 100,000 people | 12.6 prisoners per 100,000 people | Uruguay |
| 2010s | 304.6 prisoners per 100,000 people | 282.6 prisoners per 100,000 people | 22 prisoners per 100,000 people | Brazil |
| 2020s | 398.5 prisoners per 100,000 people | 410.5 prisoners per 100,000 people | 12 prisoners per 100,000 people | Uruguay |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher prison population rate, Brazil or Uruguay?
- Uruguay, at 449 prisoners per 100,000 people against 416 prisoners per 100,000 people in Brazil as of 2024.
- What is the difference in prison population rate between Brazil and Uruguay?
- 33 prisoners per 100,000 people, with Uruguay ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and Uruguay?
- 12 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Brazil and Uruguay rank globally for prison population rate?
- Brazil ranks 13th and Uruguay ranks 11th of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Prison population rate. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Prison population (including pre-trial detainees and remand prisoners), per 100,000 population.