What We're Showing
This graphic shows the countries with the highest and lowest incarceration rates worldwide, based on data from the Prison Policy Initiative.
Key Takeaways
- El Salvador, known as the “prison capital of the world”, has the highest incarceration rate globally, at 1,086 per 100,000 people.
- The U.S. incarceration rate is 614 per 100,000 people, the fourth-highest worldwide.
- By contrast, Japan has one of the world’s lowest rates at 36 per 100,000 inhabitants.
