Prison population rate in France
France: Prison population rate was 126 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
126
Change on year
up 6.8%
World rank
122nd
of 202 countries
All-time high
126
in 2025
All-time low
76
in 2002
Years of data
12
2000–2025
Prison population rate in France, 2000–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, prison population rate in France stood at 126. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.8% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison population rate in France peaked at 126 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 76, in 2002.
That places France 122nd out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Prison population rate in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 82 | — |
| 2002 | 76 | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 91 | +19.7% |
| 2006 | 91 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 96 | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 99 | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 114 | +15.2% |
| 2016 | 110 | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 114 | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 119 | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 118 | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 126 | +6.8% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 126 is below the median for high income countries, which is 172.5, 73% of the median. (80 countries reporting)
- France's 126 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 121, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 87.2 | 76 | 96 | 5 |
| 2010s | 109.25 | 99 | 114 | 4 |
| 2020s | 121 | 118 | 126 | 3 |
Countries ranked near France
More population data for France
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.028 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -3.58 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.028 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1885 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 65,827 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.1504 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1075 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.033 (2100)
- Population density 125.07 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 3.16 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison population rate in France?
- Prison population rate in France was 126 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prison population rate recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 126 in 2025.
- What is the lowest prison population rate recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 76 in 2002.
- How does France rank for prison population rate?
- France ranks 122nd out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is prison population rate rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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 — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).