Prison population in France

France: Prison population was 60,403 Number in 2007. ▲ Rising

Latest (2007)
60,403 Number
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
6th
of 43 countries
All-time high
60,403 Number
in 2007
All-time low
47,005 Number
in 2001
Years of data
15
1993–2007

Prison population in France, 1993–2007

020.0k40.0k60.0k1993200020071993: 51.1k Number1994: 53.8k Number1995: 53.2k Number1996: 54.0k Number1997: 54.4k Number1998: 53.7k Number1999: 53.9k Number2000: 48.8k Number2001: 47.0k Number2002: 53.5k Number2003: 55.4k Number2004: 59.2k Number2005: 59.2k Number2006: 59.5k Number2007: 60.4k Number

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Number.

Analysis

France recorded 60,403 Number for prison population in 2007. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 10.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prison population in France peaked at 60,403 Number in 2007 and was at its lowest, 47,005 Number, in 2001.

That places France 6th out of 43 countries with data for 2007, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Prison population in France, year by year

Annual values for Prison population (1993-2007) in France, 1993 to 2007.
Year Number Change
1993 51,134 Number
1994 53,758 Number +5.1%
1995 53,178 Number -1.1%
1996 54,014 Number +1.6%
1997 54,442 Number +0.8%
1998 53,667 Number -1.4%
1999 53,948 Number +0.5%
2000 48,835 Number -9.5%
2001 47,005 Number -3.7%
2002 53,463 Number +13.7%
2003 55,407 Number +3.6%
2004 59,246 Number +6.9%
2005 59,197 Number -0.1%
2006 59,522 Number +0.5%
2007 60,403 Number +1.5%

France compared with similar countries

  • France's 60,403 Number is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7,770 Number, 7.8× the median. (33 countries reporting)
  • France's 60,403 Number is above the median for high income countries, which is 7,770 Number, 7.8× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 53,449 Number 51,134 Number 54,442 Number 7
2000s 55,385 Number 47,005 Number 60,403 Number 8

Countries ranked near France

  1. 4 Germany 73,319 Number compare
  2. 5 Spain 67,100 Number compare
  3. 7 Italy 48,693 Number compare
  4. 8 Romania 29,390 Number compare
  5. 9 Czechia 19,110 Number compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More population data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is prison population in France?
Prison population in France was 60,403 Number in 2007, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest prison population recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 60,403 Number in 2007.
What is the lowest prison population recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 47,005 Number in 2001.
How does France rank for prison population?
France ranks 6th out of 43 countries with data for 2007.
Is prison population rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Prison population (1993-2007). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Prison population in France. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/prison-population-1993-2007/france/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://population.statizoid.com/stat/prison-population-1993-2007/france/">Prison population in France</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Prison population (1993-2007)
Unit
Number
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
46 places, 641 data points, 1993–2007
Last refreshed