Prison population rate in Ireland
Ireland: Prison population rate was 101 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
101
Change on year
up 24.7%
World rank
143rd
of 202 countries
All-time high
101
in 2025
All-time low
74
in 2020
Years of data
13
2000–2025
Prison population rate in Ireland, 2000–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, prison population rate in Ireland stood at 101. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 24.7% on the previous year and up 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison population rate in Ireland peaked at 101 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 74, in 2020.
Ireland ranks 143rd 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 Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 77 | — |
| 2002 | 81 | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 79 | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 75 | -5.1% |
| 2008 | 80 | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 94 | +17.5% |
| 2012 | 94 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 84 | -10.6% |
| 2016 | 78 | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 80 | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 74 | -7.5% |
| 2022 | 81 | +9.5% |
| 2025 | 101 | +24.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 101 is below the median for high income countries, which is 172.5, 59% of the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 101 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 121, 83% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 78.4 | 75 | 81 | 5 |
| 2010s | 86 | 78 | 94 | 5 |
| 2020s | 85.33 | 74 | 101 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More population data for Ireland
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.68 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1157 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,725 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5372 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1844 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.455 (2100)
- Population density 76.73 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 217,052 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison population rate in Ireland?
- Prison population rate in Ireland was 101 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prison population rate recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 101 in 2025.
- What is the lowest prison population rate recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 74 in 2020.
- How does Ireland rank for prison population rate?
- Ireland ranks 143rd out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is prison population rate rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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).