Prison population rate in South Africa
South Africa: Prison population rate was 260 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
260
World rank
51st
of 202 countries
All-time high
403
in 2004
All-time low
259
in 2020
Years of data
12
2000–2025
Prison population rate in South Africa, 2000–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, prison population rate in South Africa stood at 260.
That represents a change of down 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison population rate in South Africa peaked at 403 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 259, in 2020.
That places South Africa 51st out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Prison population rate in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 394 | — |
| 2002 | 396 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 403 | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 318 | -21.1% |
| 2008 | 342 | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 328 | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 310 | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 288 | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 291 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 286 | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 259 | -9.4% |
| 2025 | 260 | +0.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 260 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 216, 1.2× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 260 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 90, 2.9× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 370.6 | 318 | 403 | 5 |
| 2010s | 300.6 | 286 | 328 | 5 |
| 2020s | 259.5 | 259 | 260 | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More population data for South Africa
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.7997 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1847 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 73,530 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8824 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.0148 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.23 (2100)
- Population density 77.75 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 5.55 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison population rate in South Africa?
- Prison population rate in South Africa was 260 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prison population rate recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 403 in 2004.
- What is the lowest prison population rate recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 259 in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for prison population rate?
- South Africa ranks 51st out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is prison population rate rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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).