EU countries by prison population rate
Hungary had the highest prison population rate of 27 EU countries in 2021, at 191.4 per 100,000 people. Finland had the lowest, at 50.8 per 100,000 people. The median was 97.2 per 100,000 people. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
All EU countries, 2021
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2021 | Change on 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary | 191.4 | +19.9 pts |
| 2 | Poland | 191 | +10.9 pts |
| 3 | Slovakia | 185.1 | -7.7 pts |
| 4 | Lithuania | 181.9 | -8.5 pts |
| 5 | Czechia | 175.2 | -5.2 pts |
| 6 | Latvia | 168.1 | +5.4 pts |
| 7 | Estonia | 164.6 | -12.1 pts |
| 8 | Romania | 119.7 | +7.2 pts |
| 9 | Malta | 119 | -48.9 pts |
| 10 | Spain | 116.2 | -0.3 pts |
| 11 | Portugal | 113.7 | +1.9 pts |
| 12 | Greece | 103.3 | -2.9 pts |
| 13 | France | 102.7 | +9.8 pts |
| 14 | Luxembourg | 97.2 | +8.3 pts |
| 15 | Croatia | 96.8 | +9.7 pts |
| 16 | Austria | 94.4 | -0.9 pts |
| 17 | Italy | 93.4 | +1.9 pts |
| 18 | Belgium | 93.2 | +3.3 pts |
| 19 | Cyprus | 88.7 | +21 pts |
| 20 | Bulgaria | 84.9 | -5 pts |
| 21 | Ireland | 76 | -0.7 pts |
| 22 | Sweden | 74.9 | +4.3 pts |
| 23 | Denmark | 72.3 | +0.7 pts |
| 24 | Germany | 69.2 | -2.5 pts |
| 25 | Netherlands | 64.7 | +1.4 pts |
| 26 | Slovenia | 53.9 | -15.3 pts |
| 27 | Finland | 50.8 | +1 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.Citation styles
APA 7
Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap) (EU countries by prison population rate, 2021) [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), EU countries by prison population rate, 2021. Eurostat, European Commission, 29 Apr. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_pris_cap/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/prison-population-rate/eu-countries?period=2021. 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). EU countries by prison population rate, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_pris_cap/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/prison-population-rate/eu-countries?period=2021.
Harvard
Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim_pris_cap), EU countries by prison population rate, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_pris_cap/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/prison-population-rate/eu-countries?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_prison_2021,
author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
title = {{Prison capacity and number of persons held, actual number held per 100,000 inhabitants (crim\_pris\_cap): EU countries by prison population rate, 2021}},
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/rankings/prison-population-rate/eu-countries?period=2021. 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): EU countries by prison population rate, 2021
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/rankings/prison-population-rate/eu-countries?period=2021
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/prison-population-rate/eu-countries?period=2021.
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 -
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 191.4 per 100,000 people in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
Which EU country has the lowest prison population rate?
Finland, with 50.8 per 100,000 people in 2021.
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.