Prison population rate in France

Prison population rate in France was 117.5 per 100,000 people in 2024, according to Eurostat, European Commission. That is up 6.3 pts from 2023. That is the 13th highest of 27 EU countries in 2024.

2024, per 100,000 people117.5

Change on 2023+6.3 pts

Rank13th of 27EU countries ranked

Series high117.52024

Series low92.92020

Prison population rate in France, 2008 to 2024

per 100,000 people. Source: Eurostat, Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap). Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2026-04-29.

All 17 values

Period	per 100,000 people
2024	117.5
2023	111.2
2022	106.3
2021	102.7
2020	92.9
2019	105.3
2018	104.7
2017	103.3
2016	102.5
2015	100.3
2014	100.5
2013	102.3
2012	102
2011	99.7
2010	93.6
2009	94.8
2008	97.3

Rankings

EU countries by prison population rate 27 places

Definition

Persons held in prison per 100,000 inhabitants, including pre-trial detainees, counted on one reference day of the year (Eurostat crime and criminal justice statistics).

Countries count on different reference days, mostly 1 September or 31 December. The US imprisonment rate (imprisonment_rate) counts only prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year, so it is not comparable.

How to cite

Eurostat. Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_pris_cap/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap) (Prison population rate, France, 2008 to 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_pris_cap/default/table

MLA 9

Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap), Prison population rate, France, 2008 to 2024. Eurostat, European Commission, 29 Apr. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_pris_cap/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/prison-population-rate/france. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap). Prison population rate, France, 2008 to 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_pris_cap/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/prison-population-rate/france.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap), Prison population rate, France, 2008 to 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_pris_cap/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/prison-population-rate/france (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_prison_population_rate_france_2024,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim\_pris\_cap): Prison population rate, France, 2008 to 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_pris_cap/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/prison-population-rate/france. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim\_pris\_cap). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim\_pris\_cap/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap): Prison population rate, France, 2008 to 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/29
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_pris_cap/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/prison-population-rate/france
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/prison-population-rate/france.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_pris_cap/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

What is the prison population rate in France?

Prison population rate in France was 117.5 per 100,000 people in 2024, according to Eurostat, European Commission. That is up 6.3 pts from 2023. That is the 13th highest of 27 EU countries in 2024.

Where does this figure come from?

Eurostat, European Commission. Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap). Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.

What was the highest prison population rate in France?

117.5 per 100,000 people in 2024, the highest value since 2008 in this series.

Prison population rate elsewhere in European Union (27)

Related statistics for France

All statistics for France | France in figures