EuroWire, LUXEMBOURG: The number of prisoners in the European Union rose 2.0% in 2024 to 508,746, while the imprisonment rate edged up to 113 people per 100,000 inhabitants from 111 a year earlier, data released by Eurostat showed. The increase kept the EU prison population above the level seen after the pandemic-era low in 2020 and added to pressure on prison systems across the bloc, with several member states continuing to hold more inmates than their facilities were officially designed to accommodate.
The latest figures showed the EU prison population remained below the 2012 total of 552,954, which was the highest level recorded since 1993, but extended the rebound from 463,376 in 2020. After years of decline and a sharp drop during the pandemic period, the total number of prisoners has risen 9.8% from that low point. The data adds to a broader snapshot of detention trends across the bloc as national authorities manage prison capacity, staffing levels and differing criminal justice systems.
The rate of imprisonment varied sharply between member states. Hungary recorded the highest rate at 193 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Poland at 191 and Latvia at 187, while Czechia stood at 178. At the other end, Finland had 57 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, the Netherlands had 67, and Denmark and Germany each recorded 70. The spread highlighted how incarceration levels differ widely across the EU even under a shared regional statistical framework.
Prison capacity strains persist
Occupancy figures showed that more than a dozen EU countries were holding more prisoners than their prisons were designed to accommodate in 2024. Cyprus registered the highest prison occupancy rate at 227.6, meaning its inmate population was more than double official capacity, while Slovenia stood at 134.2 and France at 129.3. By contrast, Estonia recorded 49.9, Lithuania 67.0 and Luxembourg 67.4, pointing to substantial spare capacity in those systems. Overcrowding is measured when occupancy rises above 100.
Across the EU, there was one prison place for every 853 inhabitants in 2024, equivalent to 117 prison places per 100,000 people. The ratio of prisoners to prison personnel was 1.9, unchanged from the previous year after easing during the pandemic period. Eurostat said the prison figures are compiled from national prison administrations or national statistical institutes and reported as official data. That leaves a single EU total alongside large national differences in available prison space, staffing and detention patterns.
Prisoner profile varies widely across EU
The composition of the prison population also showed notable variation. Women accounted for 5.5% of prisoners across the EU in 2024, or roughly one in every 18 adult prisoners, little changed from 5.4% in 2023. Prisoners holding foreign citizenship in the reporting country made up 21.4% of the total, up from 20.7% a year earlier. Luxembourg had the highest share at 75.8%, followed by Cyprus at 54.0% and Austria at 53.0%, while Romania, Bulgaria and Poland recorded the lowest shares.
The latest release underlined that the EU prison population remains below its 2012 peak, but the direction has shifted since 2020 as inmate numbers have risen and overcrowding persists in parts of the bloc. The figures also showed how prison conditions differ sharply between countries, with some systems operating well above design capacity while others retain room to absorb demand. Eurostat said EU aggregates can include estimates when national data are missing, while country figures are presented as reported.