Portugal vs Spain: Prison population rate
Portugal
121 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2025
Spain
121 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2024
Portugal rank
126th
Spain rank
126th
Prison population rate over time
- Portugal
- Spain
How they compare
Portugal currently reports 121 prisoners per 100,000 people against 121 prisoners per 100,000 people in Spain, a difference of 0 prisoners per 100,000 people.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 12 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Portugal ahead.
Portugal ranks 126th and Spain ranks 126th of 202 countries.
Spain has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 121.2 prisoners per 100,000 people | 133.4 prisoners per 100,000 people | 12.2 prisoners per 100,000 people | Spain |
| 2010s | 126.8 prisoners per 100,000 people | 144.2 prisoners per 100,000 people | 17.4 prisoners per 100,000 people | Spain |
| 2020s | 114.5 prisoners per 100,000 people | 116.5 prisoners per 100,000 people | 2 prisoners per 100,000 people | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher prison population rate, Portugal or Spain?
- Portugal, at 121 prisoners per 100,000 people against 121 prisoners per 100,000 people in Spain as of 2025.
- What is the difference in prison population rate between Portugal and Spain?
- 0 prisoners per 100,000 people, with Portugal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and Spain?
- 12 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2022.
- How do Portugal and Spain rank globally for prison population rate?
- Portugal ranks 126th and Spain 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.