EUROSTAT: Albania among the countries with the highest number of prisoners in Europe, but the lowest for women

Albania ranks among the 10 countries with the highest number of prisoners in Europe relative to population, according to the latest data published by Eurostat.

According to the data, available for Albania for 2023, the country had 182 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to the European Union average of 113 in 2024 and 111 in 2023.

The highest rate in Europe is held by Turkey, which in 2024 had 342 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, although this marked a decline from the previous year, when the figure stood at 449.

Montenegro had 170 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, while in 2024 the figure rose to 191, leading the region together with Albania. Serbia also recorded high figures, at 173-176 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, while North Macedonia had the lowest rate in the region at 133-134.

There is no available data for Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Europe

According to Eurostat, in 2024 there was 1 prisoner for every 883 residents in the EU, or 113 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, slightly higher than in 2023, when the rate was 111.

In 2024, the highest prison population rate in the EU was recorded in Hungary with 193 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Poland with 191, Latvia with 187, and Czech Republic with 178.

The lowest rate was in Finland with 57, followed by Netherlands with 67, as well as Denmark and Germany, each with 70.

In 2024, there were around 509,000 prisoners in the EU, or 8.0% fewer than in 2012, when the number reached around 553,000, the highest level since 1993.

After a period of stability during 2017-2019, the number of prisoners fell by 6.6% in 2020, likely due to COVID-19-related measures. From 2021 to 2024, however, the prison population increased overall by 9.8%.

Albania has the lowest level of imprisoned women in Europe.

In Albania, the vast majority of prisoners are men, while the percentage of women is the lowest in Europe, at only 1.4%. The average percentage of female prisoners in the European Union is 5.5%. In the region, Serbia holds the record, where nearly 5% of prisoners are women.

According to Eurostat, in 2024, 1 in every 18 adult prisoners in the EU was a woman, or 5.5% of the total prison population, almost unchanged from 2023, when the figure was 5.4%.

The share of women in prisons varies across EU countries. In 2024, the highest percentage was recorded in Hungary at 8.7%, followed by the Czech Republic at 8.6%, Malta at 8.4%, and Sweden at 7.9%.

The lowest percentage was in France at 3.4%, followed by Belgium at 4.1%, and Bulgaria at 4.3%.

“KORÇA BOOM”