EU countries by prison population rate, 2024
Hungary had the highest prison population rate of 27 EU countries in 2024, at 192.6 per 100,000 people. Finland had the lowest, at 56.9 per 100,000 people. The median was 110.7 per 100,000 people. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
All EU countries, 2024
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2024 | Change on 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary | 192.6 | +5.8 pts |
| 2 | Poland | 190.7 | -12 pts |
| 3 | Latvia | 186.6 | +12.9 pts |
| 4 | Czechia | 178.3 | -2.5 pts |
| 5 | Lithuania | 155.2 | -4 pts |
| 6 | Slovakia | 150.6 | -28.5 pts |
| 7 | Romania | 129.1 | +4.9 pts |
| 8 | Croatia | 128.6 | +13.1 pts |
| 9 | Malta | 123.7 | -0.3 pts |
| 10 | Spain | 121.8 | +3.9 pts |
| 11 | Estonia | 119.1 | -15.7 pts |
| 12 | Portugal | 117.6 | +0.4 pts |
| 13 | France | 117.5 | +6.3 pts |
| 14 | Greece | 110.7 | +12.3 pts |
| 15 | Italy | 107.7 | +3.4 pts |
| 16 | Sweden | 106.5 | +13.8 pts |
| 17 | Belgium | 106.5 | +5.2 pts |
| 18 | Austria | 105.4 | +5.6 pts |
| 19 | Cyprus | 99.9 | -1.2 pts |
| 20 | Ireland | 95.7 | +5.9 pts |
| 21 | Luxembourg | 93.5 | +1.9 pts |
| 22 | Slovenia | 85 | +17.1 pts |
| 23 | Bulgaria | 84.4 | -1.3 pts |
| 24 | Germany | 70.5 | -0.7 pts |
| 25 | Denmark | 69.9 | -0.1 pts |
| 26 | Netherlands | 66.6 | +1 pts |
| 27 | Finland | 56.9 | +3.6 pts |
Other periods
About this ranking
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.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
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.Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank EU countries by prison population rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"prison_population_rate","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=prison_population_rate&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10Questions
Which EU country has the highest prison population rate?
Hungary, with 192.6 per 100,000 people in 2024, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
Which EU country has the lowest prison population rate?
Finland, with 56.9 per 100,000 people in 2024.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap). Retrieved 2026-10-12.