Prison population rate in Russia

Russia: Prison population rate was 300 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
300 prisoners per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 6.8%
World rank
34th
of 202 countries
All-time high
729 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2000
All-time low
300 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
13
2000–2023

Prison population rate in Russia, 2000–2023

02004006008002000201120232000: 729 prisoners per 100,000 people2002: 675 prisoners per 100,000 people2004: 588 prisoners per 100,000 people2006: 577 prisoners per 100,000 people2008: 622 prisoners per 100,000 people2010: 609 prisoners per 100,000 people2012: 528 prisoners per 100,000 people2014: 471 prisoners per 100,000 people2016: 448 prisoners per 100,000 people2018: 416 prisoners per 100,000 people2020: 363 prisoners per 100,000 people2022: 322 prisoners per 100,000 people2023: 300 prisoners per 100,000 people

Source: Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in prisoners per 100,000 people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prison population rate in Russia is 300 prisoners per 100,000 people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.

The figure is down 6.8% on the previous year and down 43.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prison population rate in Russia peaked at 729 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 300 prisoners per 100,000 people, in 2023.

Russia ranks 34th of 202 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 638.2 prisoners per 100,000 people 577 prisoners per 100,000 people 729 prisoners per 100,000 people 5
2010s 494.4 prisoners per 100,000 people 416 prisoners per 100,000 people 609 prisoners per 100,000 people 5
2020s 328.33 prisoners per 100,000 people 300 prisoners per 100,000 people 363 prisoners per 100,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Russia

  1. 31 Saint Lucia 310 prisoners per 100,000 people compare
  2. 32 Northern Mariana Islands 304 prisoners per 100,000 people compare
  3. 33 Belize 302 prisoners per 100,000 people compare
  4. 35 Peru 299 prisoners per 100,000 people compare
  5. 37 Saint Kitts and Nevis 296 prisoners per 100,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More population data for Russia

All data for Russia →

Frequently asked questions

What is prison population rate in Russia?
Prison population rate in Russia was 300 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2023, according to Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest prison population rate recorded in Russia?
The highest recorded value was 729 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2000.
What is the lowest prison population rate recorded in Russia?
The lowest recorded value was 300 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2023.
How does Russia rank for prison population rate?
Russia ranks 34th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
Is prison population rate rising or falling in Russia?
Over the last ten years it is down 43.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Russia data come from?
The figures 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 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).

About this data

Indicator
Prison population rate
Unit
prisoners per 100,000 people
Source
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 2,155 data points, 1993–2026
Last refreshed

Prison population (including pre-trial detainees and remand prisoners), per 100,000 population.