Prison population rate in Australia
Australia: Prison population rate was 170 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
170
Change on year
up 9.0%
World rank
95th
of 202 countries
All-time high
172
in 2018
All-time low
114
in 2000
Years of data
13
2000–2025
Prison population rate in Australia, 2000–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prison population rate in Australia is 170, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 9.0% on the previous year and up 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison population rate in Australia peaked at 172 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 114, in 2000.
Australia ranks 95th of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Prison population rate in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 114 | — |
| 2002 | 115 | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 121 | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 126 | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 130 | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 135 | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 130 | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 144 | +10.8% |
| 2016 | 161 | +11.8% |
| 2018 | 172 | +6.8% |
| 2020 | 160 | -7.0% |
| 2022 | 156 | -2.5% |
| 2025 | 170 | +9.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 170 is below the median for high income countries, which is 172.5, 99% of the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Australia's 170 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 170, 1.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 121.2 | 114 | 130 | 5 |
| 2010s | 148.4 | 130 | 172 | 5 |
| 2020s | 162 | 156 | 170 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More population data for Australia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.5755 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2553 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 32,193 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8589 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.2773 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.503 (2100)
- Population density 5.61 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 2.09 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison population rate in Australia?
- Prison population rate in Australia was 170 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prison population rate recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 172 in 2018.
- What is the lowest prison population rate recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 114 in 2000.
- How does Australia rank for prison population rate?
- Australia ranks 95th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is prison population rate rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Prison population rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).