Faroe Islands vs Iceland: Prison population rate

Faroe Islands
24 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2024
Iceland
35 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2024
Faroe Islands rank
199th
Iceland rank
196th

Prison population rate over time

  • Faroe Islands
  • Iceland
20304050199820112024

How they compare

Iceland currently reports 35 prisoners per 100,000 people against 24 prisoners per 100,000 people in Faroe Islands, a difference of 11 prisoners per 100,000 people.

That makes Iceland's figure about 1.5 times Faroe Islands's.

Across all 10 years both countries report, Iceland has been ahead every year.

Faroe Islands ranks 199th and Iceland ranks 196th of 202 countries.

Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Faroe Islands Iceland Difference Ahead
2000s 23 prisoners per 100,000 people 37 prisoners per 100,000 people 14 prisoners per 100,000 people Iceland
2010s 20.2 prisoners per 100,000 people 44 prisoners per 100,000 people 23.8 prisoners per 100,000 people Iceland
2020s 22.5 prisoners per 100,000 people 39.5 prisoners per 100,000 people 17 prisoners per 100,000 people Iceland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher prison population rate, Faroe Islands or Iceland?
Iceland, at 35 prisoners per 100,000 people against 24 prisoners per 100,000 people in Faroe Islands as of 2024.
What is the difference in prison population rate between Faroe Islands and Iceland?
11 prisoners per 100,000 people, with Iceland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Faroe Islands and Iceland?
10 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do Faroe Islands and Iceland rank globally for prison population rate?
Faroe Islands ranks 199th and Iceland ranks 196th 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

Indicator
Prison population rate
Unit
prisoners per 100,000 people
Source
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 2,155 data points, 1993–2026
Last refreshed

Prison population (including pre-trial detainees and remand prisoners), per 100,000 population.