Prison population rate in United States
United States: Prison population rate was 542 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
542
Change on year
up 7.3%
World rank
4th
of 202 countries
All-time high
755
in 2008
All-time low
505
in 2020
Years of data
12
2000–2023
Prison population rate in United States, 2000–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, prison population rate in United States stood at 542.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.3% on the previous year and down 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison population rate in United States peaked at 755 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 505, in 2020.
That places United States 4th out of 202 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Prison population rate in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 683 | — |
| 2002 | 703 | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 725 | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 752 | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 755 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 731 | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 707 | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 693 | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 666 | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 642 | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 505 | -21.3% |
| 2023 | 542 | +7.3% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 542 is above the median for high income countries, which is 172.5, 3.1× the median. (80 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 723.6 | 683 | 755 | 5 |
| 2010s | 687.8 | 642 | 731 | 5 |
| 2020s | 523.5 | 505 | 542 | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 1 El Salvador 1,659 compare
- 2 Rwanda 620 compare
- 3 Turkmenistan 576 compare
- 5 American Samoa 538 compare
- 6 Panama 533 compare
- 7 Guam 530 compare
More population data for United States
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.8 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0241 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 375,392 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4762 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1565 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.129 (2100)
- Population density 46.05 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 19.91 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison population rate in United States?
- Prison population rate in United States was 542 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prison population rate recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 755 in 2008.
- What is the lowest prison population rate recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 505 in 2020.
- How does United States rank for prison population rate?
- United States ranks 4th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prison population rate rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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).