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Eurostat: Albania among the countries with the highest number of prisoners in Europe
2026-05-07 20:20:43 / AKTUALITET
Albania ranks as one of the 10 countries with the highest number of prisoners in Europe, relative to population, according to the latest data published by Eurostat.
According to data available for Albania for 2023, there were 182 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants in the country, down from 113, which is the European Union average for 2024, and 111 in 2023.
The record in Europe is held by Turkey, which in 2024 had 342 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, however, with a decrease from the previous year, when the figure was 449.
Montenegro had 170 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, while in 2024 the indicator increased to 191, leading the region, along with Albania. Serbia also has a high figure, at 173-176, per 100,000 inhabitants, while North Macedonia is last (133-134).
There is no data for Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to Eurostat, in 2024, there was 1 prisoner in the EU for every 883 inhabitants, or 113 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, slightly more than in 2023, when the rate was 111.
In 2024, the highest prison rate per 100,000 inhabitants in the EU was recorded in Hungary, with 193, followed by Poland, with 191, Latvia, with 187, and the Czech Republic, with 178.
The lowest rate was in Finland, at 57, followed by the Netherlands, at 67, as well as Denmark and Germany, each at 70.
In 2024, there were around 509 thousand prisoners in the EU, or 8.0% fewer than in 2012, when the number reached around 553 thousand, the highest level since 1993.
After a period of stability in 2017-2019, the number of prisoners fell by 6.6% in 2020, likely as a result of COVID-19-related measures. Then, from 2021 to 2024, the number of prisoners increased by a total of 9.8%.
Albania has the lowest rate of female prisoners in Europe
In Albania, the majority of prisoners are men, while the percentage of women is the lowest in Europe, at only 1.4%. The average number of women in prison in the European Union is 5.5%. In the region, the record is held by Serbia, where almost 5% of prisoners are women.
According to Eurostat, in 2024, in the EU 1 in 18 adult prisoners was a woman, or 5.5% of the total prison population, almost the same as in 2023, when this indicator was 5.4%.
The share of women in prison 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%. /MONITOR
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