Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population by country

Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population (%).

Countries reporting
153
Highest
83.6%
Haiti
Lowest
0.3%
Algeria
Median
29.0%
Years covered
24
2001–2024
Data points
2,324

What the numbers show

Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population is currently reported for 153 countries. The highest value is 83.6% in Haiti; the lowest is 0.3% in Algeria.

The median across all reporting countries is 29.0%, and the mean is 33.6%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 279.

Over the past decade 81 countries rose and 72 fell. The largest increase was in Slovenia (up 1,001.4%), and the largest decrease in Algeria (down 95.5%).

Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Haiti 83.6% 2024 up 18.4% falling
2 Bangladesh 75.6% 2022 up 10.7% rising
3 India 73.5% 2023 up 8.8% rising
4 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 69.9% 2024 up 200.1% rising
5 Pakistan 69.0% 2024 down 0.3% rising
6 Nigeria 66.8% 2024 down 3.0% flat
7 Sri Lanka 66.2% 2024 up 81.8% rising
8 Philippines 65.2% 2022 up 4.9% flat
9 Paraguay 63.9% 2024 down 15.7% flat
10 Faroe Islands 63.6% 2020 up 409.1% volatile
11 Trinidad and Tobago 62.3% 2020 up 37.2% rising
12 Saint Lucia 62.1% 2024 up 53.5% rising
13 Albania 62.0% 2024 up 20.7% rising
14 Dominican Republic 62.0% 2024 up 15.5% falling
15 Niger 62.0% 2024 up 29.9% rising
16 Grenada 61.0% 2024 up 305.2% volatile
17 Saint Kitts and Nevis 60.6% 2022 up 94.0% rising
18 Liberia 60.5% 2021 down 22.7% falling
19 Benin 59.9% 2021 down 20.1% falling
20 Yemen 59.0% 2017 up 72.6% rising
21 Bolivia 58.7% 2024 down 28.3% falling
22 Barbados 57.9% 2024 up 47.5% rising
23 Dominica 55.9% 2023 up 147.8% volatile
24 Guinea 55.5% 2024 down 4.7% falling
25 Cameroon 55.5% 2024 down 9.3% falling
26 Tunisia 54.9% 2021 up 5.2% rising
27 Montenegro 54.3% 2024 up 155.3% rising
28 Burundi 53.1% 2024 up 0.3% falling
29 Armenia 52.2% 2024 up 81.8% rising
30 Switzerland 51.9% 2024 up 22.2% rising
31 Sierra Leone 51.1% 2024 down 12.3% rising
32 Canada 49.9% 2023 up 56.9% rising
33 Honduras 49.2% 2023 down 4.9% falling
34 Angola 48.5% 2024 down 3.9% falling
35 Luxembourg 48.3% 2024 down 0.5% flat
36 Senegal 48.0% 2024 up 11.8% rising
37 Palestine 47.7% 2024 down 13.1% falling
38 Uganda 47.2% 2024 down 12.9% falling
39 Mauritius 46.1% 2024 up 30.3% rising
40 Lebanon 43.4% 2023 down 1.2% falling
41 Papua New Guinea 42.9% 2023 up 20.9% rising
42 Iceland 42.6% 2024 up 404.7% volatile
43 Croatia 42.4% 2024 up 96.7% rising
44 New Zealand 42.3% 2024 up 100.3% rising
45 Monaco 41.9% 2024 down 44.7% falling
46 Kenya 41.0% 2022 down 4.4% falling
47 Hong Kong 40.6% 2023 up 139.6% rising
48 Australia 39.9% 2024 up 68.7% rising
49 Slovenia 39.8% 2024 up 1,001.4% rising
50 Madagascar 39.3% 2024 down 25.6% falling
51 Jamaica 39.2% 2023 up 131.3% rising
52 Argentina 38.8% 2024 down 23.7% falling
53 Guyana 38.7% 2024 up 8.8% rising
54 United Arab Emirates 38.2% 2016 down 16.7% falling
55 Antigua and Barbuda 38.2% 2022 down 17.1% rising
56 Malta 38.2% 2024 up 60.7% rising
57 Peru 38.0% 2024 down 24.3% falling
58 South Africa 38.0% 2024 up 39.8% rising
59 Andorra 37.2% 2024 down 51.8% falling
60 Jordan 36.9% 2019 down 21.5% falling
61 Bosnia and Herzegovina 36.6% 2024 up 201.2% rising
62 Chile 36.5% 2024 up 50.3% rising
63 Mexico 36.3% 2024 down 25.3% falling
64 Panama 35.2% 2024 down 37.7% falling
65 South Korea 35.0% 2024 down 1.2% rising
66 Ukraine 34.9% 2024 up 66.3% rising
67 Belize 34.7% 2024 down 35.0% rising
68 Ecuador 34.6% 2024 down 12.5% falling
69 Cote d'Ivoire 33.7% 2024 down 13.7% rising
70 Sao Tome and Principe 32.8% 2018 down 27.1% volatile
71 Solomon Islands 32.7% 2024 down 0.9% rising
72 Bahamas 32.7% 2023 down 42.9% rising
73 Malaysia 32.6% 2024 up 43.6% rising
74 Vanuatu 32.3% 2021 up 51.1% rising
75 Seychelles 31.6% 2024 up 59.3% rising
76 Tanzania 31.4% 2023 down 33.4% falling
77 Burkina Faso 29.0% 2024 down 34.7% falling
77 Libya 29.0% 2023 down 65.2% falling
79 Latvia 28.6% 2024 down 7.8% falling
80 Guatemala 28.3% 2024 down 43.7% falling
81 Mozambique 27.9% 2024 down 15.1% falling
82 Finland 27.4% 2024 up 37.2% rising
83 Brazil 27.3% 2024 down 33.8% falling
84 Netherlands 27.1% 2024 up 12.2% falling
85 Germany 27.0% 2024 up 31.5% rising
86 Sweden 27.0% 2024 up 5.2% rising
87 United States 26.7% 2023 up 24.2% rising
88 Cambodia 26.6% 2024 down 54.4% falling
89 El Salvador 26.0% 2019 down 19.7% falling
90 France 25.8% 2024 up 3.2% falling
91 Israel 25.8% 2016 down 6.6% flat
92 Kyrgyzstan 25.6% 2022 up 22.4% rising
93 Greece 25.5% 2024 up 21.6% falling
94 Eswatini 24.5% 2022 up 34.9% falling
95 Cyprus 24.4% 2024 up 28.3% rising
96 Denmark 23.9% 2024 down 19.7% flat
97 East Timor 23.8% 2017 down 44.1% falling
98 Costa Rica 23.7% 2024 up 11.4% flat
98 Guernsey 23.7% 2024 up 14.7% falling
100 Belgium 23.6% 2024 down 13.9% falling
101 Qatar 23.6% 2019 up 349.0% volatile
102 Zimbabwe 23.5% 2024 up 37.7% falling
103 Botswana 22.5% 2021 up 0.8% falling
104 Norway 22.4% 2024 down 9.4% rising
105 Myanmar 22.0% 2020 up 103.1% rising
106 Portugal 21.7% 2024 up 32.3% falling
107 Colombia 21.6% 2024 down 35.4% falling
108 Serbia 21.5% 2024 up 38.9% falling
109 Indonesia 21.3% 2024 down 35.7% falling
110 Azerbaijan 20.7% 2024 up 23.4% rising
111 Hungary 20.7% 2024 down 15.9% falling
112 Kazakhstan 20.3% 2022 up 31.2% rising
113 Isle of Man 20.2% 2021 down 30.1% volatile
114 Estonia 20.2% 2024 down 14.2% falling
115 Fiji 19.9% 2021 down 28.3% rising
116 Austria 19.6% 2024 down 7.2% falling
117 Lesotho 19.5% 2016 up 2.6% flat
118 Suriname 19.4% 2024 down 51.7% falling
119 Ireland 19.3% 2024 up 27.4% rising
120 Georgia 19.3% 2024 up 33.0% volatile
121 Mongolia 18.9% 2024 up 27.4% flat
122 Puerto Rico 18.8% 2024 up 27.3% rising
123 Zambia 18.1% 2024 down 22.1% falling
124 Spain 17.7% 2024 up 33.7% falling
125 Malawi 17.6% 2020 up 56.9% falling
126 Macao 17.6% 2024 down 5.1% falling
127 Moldova 17.0% 2024 up 54.1% rising
128 Italy 16.9% 2024 down 10.2% volatile
129 Japan 15.5% 2024 up 34.6% flat
130 Russia 15.4% 2024 up 72.4% rising
131 Kuwait 14.6% 2021 up 46.0% rising
132 Turkey 14.4% 2024 up 2.9% volatile
133 Liechtenstein 14.3% 2024 down 81.1% volatile
134 Nicaragua 14.3% 2018 down 31.5% flat
135 North Macedonia 14.0% 2024 up 37.2% falling
136 Singapore 13.1% 2024 up 23.5% rising
137 Lithuania 13.0% 2024 up 29.5% falling
138 Slovakia 13.0% 2024 down 1.2% falling
139 Bermuda 12.6% 2019 up 7.3% falling
140 Vietnam 11.5% 2022 down 1.2% falling
141 Poland 10.9% 2024 up 38.2% falling
142 Ghana 10.5% 2024 down 51.0% falling
143 Morocco 10.5% 2024 down 75.3% falling
144 Egypt 9.9% 2016 down 0.3% falling
145 Romania 9.2% 2024 up 73.6% falling
146 Belarus 9.2% 2018 down 9.6% falling
147 Thailand 8.9% 2024 down 57.7% falling
148 Bulgaria 8.8% 2024 up 3.4% falling
149 Czechia 8.2% 2024 down 29.9% falling
150 Brunei 7.1% 2016 down 17.1% flat
151 Uruguay 6.3% 2023 down 90.1% falling
152 Namibia 3.2% 2016 down 60.1% volatile
153 Algeria 0.3% 2024 down 95.5% volatile

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Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population by country. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/unsentenced-detainees-as-proportion-of-prison-population/

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About this data

Indicator
Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population
Unit
%
Source
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
153 places, 2,324 data points, 2001–2024
Last refreshed

Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population (%).