America's Prison Population is an Estimated 1.7 Million 🔒

What We're Showing

This graphic shows the countries with the most prisoners, based on data from the Prison Policy Initiative.

Prison population figures are extrapolated from their most recent incarceration rates.

Key Takeaways

• China has the largest number of prisoners in the world, standing at nearly two million inmates.
• America ranks in second globally, with incarceration rates of 614 per 100,000 people, the highest among developed economies by far.