Malta vs Portugal: Prison population rate
Malta
119 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2024
Portugal
121 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2025
Malta rank
128th
Portugal rank
126th
Prison population rate over time
- Malta
- Portugal
How they compare
Portugal currently reports 121 prisoners per 100,000 people against 119 prisoners per 100,000 people in Malta, a difference of 2 prisoners per 100,000 people.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 10 shared years of data; in 2002 it was Portugal ahead.
Malta ranks 128th and Portugal ranks 126th of 202 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Malta averaged higher in 2 and Portugal in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malta | Portugal | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 83 prisoners per 100,000 people | 120 prisoners per 100,000 people | 37 prisoners per 100,000 people | Portugal |
| 2010s | 132 prisoners per 100,000 people | 126.8 prisoners per 100,000 people | 5.2 prisoners per 100,000 people | Malta |
| 2020s | 167 prisoners per 100,000 people | 111 prisoners per 100,000 people | 56 prisoners per 100,000 people | Malta |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher prison population rate, Malta or Portugal?
- Portugal, at 121 prisoners per 100,000 people against 119 prisoners per 100,000 people in Malta as of 2025.
- What is the difference in prison population rate between Malta and Portugal?
- 2 prisoners per 100,000 people, with Portugal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malta and Portugal?
- 10 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2020.
- How do Malta and Portugal rank globally for prison population rate?
- Malta ranks 128th and Portugal ranks 126th 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.