El Salvador vs Rwanda: Prison population rate
El Salvador
1,659 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2024
Rwanda
620 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2024
El Salvador rank
1st
Rwanda rank
2nd
Prison population rate over time
- El Salvador
- Rwanda
How they compare
El Salvador currently reports 1,659 prisoners per 100,000 people against 620 prisoners per 100,000 people in Rwanda, a difference of 1,039 prisoners per 100,000 people.
That makes El Salvador's figure about 2.7 times Rwanda's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 2010 it was Rwanda ahead.
El Salvador ranks 1st and Rwanda ranks 2nd of 202 countries.
Across the 2 decades both report, El Salvador averaged higher in 1 and Rwanda in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | El Salvador | Rwanda | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 495.6 prisoners per 100,000 people | 515 prisoners per 100,000 people | 19.4 prisoners per 100,000 people | Rwanda |
| 2020s | 1,116 prisoners per 100,000 people | 582.5 prisoners per 100,000 people | 533 prisoners per 100,000 people | El Salvador |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher prison population rate, El Salvador or Rwanda?
- El Salvador, at 1,659 prisoners per 100,000 people against 620 prisoners per 100,000 people in Rwanda as of 2024.
- What is the difference in prison population rate between El Salvador and Rwanda?
- 1,039 prisoners per 100,000 people, with El Salvador ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and Rwanda?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 2010 to 2024.
- How do El Salvador and Rwanda rank globally for prison population rate?
- El Salvador ranks 1st and Rwanda ranks 2nd 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.