Finland vs Norway: Prison population rate

Finland
54 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2024
Norway
54 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2025
Finland rank
181st
Norway rank
181st

Prison population rate over time

  • Finland
  • Norway
020406080200020122025

How they compare

Finland currently reports 54 prisoners per 100,000 people against 54 prisoners per 100,000 people in Norway, a difference of 0 prisoners per 100,000 people.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 11 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Norway ahead.

Finland ranks 181st and Norway ranks 181st of 202 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, Finland averaged higher in 1 and Norway in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Finland Norway Difference Ahead
2000s 65.4 prisoners per 100,000 people 65.2 prisoners per 100,000 people 0.2 prisoners per 100,000 people Finland
2010s 57.6 prisoners per 100,000 people 71.2 prisoners per 100,000 people 13.6 prisoners per 100,000 people Norway
2020s 51 prisoners per 100,000 people 54 prisoners per 100,000 people 3 prisoners per 100,000 people Norway

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher prison population rate, Finland or Norway?
Finland, at 54 prisoners per 100,000 people against 54 prisoners per 100,000 people in Norway as of 2024.
What is the difference in prison population rate between Finland and Norway?
0 prisoners per 100,000 people, with Finland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and Norway?
11 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2020.
How do Finland and Norway rank globally for prison population rate?
Finland ranks 181st and Norway ranks 181st 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.

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Finland vs Norway: Prison population rate. Statizoid, drawing on Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/prison-population-rate/finland/norway/

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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.