The Associated Press

Tuesday 28 June 2005

According to a report published on Monday from King's College, London, the United States continues to have the highest incarceration rate in the world.

With 714 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, the United States remains the country with the highest incarceration rate in the world, ahead of Russia and Belarus, according to figures published by the London University King's College International Centre for Prison Studies.

The United States has held first place in this ranking since 2000.

"In 200 years, the United States has succeeded in creating two million prisoners," frets researcher Anton Shelupanov. "It's a very worrying rate of growth."

Of nine million people imprisoned in the whole world, more than two million (22% of the total) are behind American bars.

Russia is First in Europe

Russia has the highest incarceration rate in Europe, with 550 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, ahead of Belarus (532/100,000) and Ukraine (416/100,000). The rate is 91/100,000 in metropolitan France, between Belgium (88/100,000) and Germany (96/100,000).

South Africa has the highest incarceration rate on the African continent (413/100,000) and Surinam the highest in South America (437/100,000).

The International Centre for Prison Studies gathers data from various sources, notably the prison administrations of each country.


Informant: JHW369