Rwanda vs United States: Prison population rate
Rwanda
620 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2024
United States
542 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2023
Rwanda rank
2nd
United States rank
4th
Prison population rate over time
- Rwanda
- United States
How they compare
Rwanda currently reports 620 prisoners per 100,000 people against 542 prisoners per 100,000 people in United States, a difference of 78 prisoners per 100,000 people.
That makes Rwanda's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 6 shared years of data; in 2010 it was United States ahead.
Rwanda ranks 2nd and United States ranks 4th of 202 countries.
Across the 2 decades both report, Rwanda averaged higher in 1 and United States in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Rwanda | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 515 prisoners per 100,000 people | 687.8 prisoners per 100,000 people | 172.8 prisoners per 100,000 people | United States |
| 2020s | 545 prisoners per 100,000 people | 505 prisoners per 100,000 people | 40 prisoners per 100,000 people | Rwanda |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher prison population rate, Rwanda or United States?
- Rwanda, at 620 prisoners per 100,000 people against 542 prisoners per 100,000 people in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in prison population rate between Rwanda and United States?
- 78 prisoners per 100,000 people, with Rwanda ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Rwanda and United States?
- 6 years are reported by both, from 2010 to 2020.
- How do Rwanda and United States rank globally for prison population rate?
- Rwanda ranks 2nd and United States ranks 4th 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.