The differences in incarceration costs across the EU

The costs of housing prisoners vary dramatically across the EU: While Luxembourg spends €377 per inmate per day, Bulgaria gets by with just €13. Outside the EU, San Marino tops the list with an astonishing €523.88 per day – for only 145 inmates.

Norway (€373) and Liechtenstein (€305.10) demonstrate that humane prison conditions come at a price. Meanwhile, countries like Azerbaijan (€8.24) or Turkey (€12.45) raise questions about their standards. Even within the EU, the gap is striking: Romania (€42) and Croatia (€54) fall far below the European median of €106 per day.