World Female Imprisonment List: Top 10 countries with women behind bars

Here we take a look at the top ten countries with the most women in prison, as per the World Female Imprisonment List's sixth edition, published in 2025.

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Credit: Meta AI

The United States has the highest number of women in jail, exceeding 174,607, and ranks first.

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China holds the second position, reporting 145,000 female inmates.

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The third spot on the list is occupied by Thailand, which has 33,057 female prisoners.

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With 50,441 female prisoners, Brazil is positioned fourth on the list.

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Russia had 39,153 female prisoners and ranks fifth on the list.

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With a figure of 23,772 female prisoners, India ranks sixth worldwide.

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The Philippines holds the seventh position for the number of female inmates, totalling 17,121.

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Turkey has the world's eighth-largest female prisoner population, with 16,581 prisoners.

Credit: Reuters

Ninth on the list is Vietnam with 15,152 women prisoners.

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With a female inmate population of 13,841, Mexico takes the tenth and final spot on the top ten list.