Malawi vs Switzerland: Prison population rate
Malawi
78 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2024
Switzerland
77 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2025
Malawi rank
158th
Switzerland rank
159th
Prison population rate over time
- Malawi
- Switzerland
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 78 prisoners per 100,000 people against 77 prisoners per 100,000 people in Switzerland, a difference of 1 prisoners per 100,000 people.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 9 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Switzerland ahead.
Malawi ranks 158th and Switzerland ranks 159th of 202 countries.
Switzerland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 72.67 prisoners per 100,000 people | 76.33 prisoners per 100,000 people | 3.67 prisoners per 100,000 people | Switzerland |
| 2010s | 76 prisoners per 100,000 people | 81.8 prisoners per 100,000 people | 5.8 prisoners per 100,000 people | Switzerland |
| 2020s | 71 prisoners per 100,000 people | 80 prisoners per 100,000 people | 9 prisoners per 100,000 people | Switzerland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher prison population rate, Malawi or Switzerland?
- Malawi, at 78 prisoners per 100,000 people against 77 prisoners per 100,000 people in Switzerland as of 2024.
- What is the difference in prison population rate between Malawi and Switzerland?
- 1 prisoners per 100,000 people, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Switzerland?
- 9 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2020.
- How do Malawi and Switzerland rank globally for prison population rate?
- Malawi ranks 158th and Switzerland ranks 159th 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.