Unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population in United States of America

United States of America: Unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population was 26.91 in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
26.91
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
85th
of 152 countries
All-time high
26.91
in 2022
All-time low
20.87
in 2011
Years of data
20
2003–2022

Unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population in United States of America, 2003–2022

01020302003201220222003: 22.62004: 21.62005: 23.32006: 22.22007: 22.32008: 22.42009: 21.92010: 21.22011: 20.92012: 21.42013: 21.52014: 22.12015: 21.92016: 23.32017: 23.52018: 24.12019: 24.32020: 23.92021: 26.12022: 26.9

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2022, unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population in United States of America stood at 26.91. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 25.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population in United States of America peaked at 26.91 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 20.87, in 2011.

That places United States of America 85th out of 152 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.

Unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population in United States of America, 2003 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2003 22.6
2004 21.63 -4.3%
2005 23.27 +7.6%
2006 22.21 -4.6%
2007 22.3 +0.4%
2008 22.42 +0.5%
2009 21.87 -2.5%
2010 21.18 -3.2%
2011 20.87 -1.5%
2012 21.37 +2.4%
2013 21.47 +0.5%
2014 22.06 +2.7%
2015 21.93 -0.6%
2016 23.32 +6.3%
2017 23.47 +0.6%
2018 24.15 +2.9%
2019 24.29 +0.6%
2020 23.87 -1.7%
2021 26.15 +9.6%
2022 26.91 +2.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 22.33 21.63 23.27 7
2010s 22.41 20.87 24.29 10
2020s 25.64 23.87 26.91 3

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 82 Mozambique 28.06 compare
  2. 83 Greece 27 compare
  3. 84 Germany 26.99 compare
  4. 86 Netherlands 26.58 compare
  5. 87 Cambodia 26.55 compare
  6. 88 Finland 26.27 compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More population data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population in United States of America?
Unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population in United States of America was 26.91 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 26.91 in 2022.
What is the lowest unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 20.87 in 2011.
How does United States of America rank for unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population?
United States of America ranks 85th out of 152 countries with data for 2022.
Is unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States of America data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/unsentenced-detainees-as-proportion-of-prison-population/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Unsentenced detainees as proportion of prison population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
152 places, 2,233 data points, 2001–2024
Last refreshed