In Europe, the number of people detained for 100 available places increased from 93.5, early 2023, to 94.9 to January 31, 2024, the date on which the figures of the Council of Europe on criminal statistics are arrested, unveiled this Friday, July 18, 2025.
Significant differences persist: in countries with more than 500,000 inhabitants, 15 penitentiary administrations have more detainees than available places, notes the Council, a lookout for human rights on the continent.
Of the 51 penitentiary administrations of the Member States of the Council of Europe, which for the first time all provided their data, Slovenia (134 prisoners for 100 places available), Cyprus (132) and France (124*) occupy the podium of prison overcrowding in 2024.
Reducing the duration of sentences, especially for non -violent and low -risk offenders, can be a powerful tool to reduce incarceration rates.
“Overcrowding seriously compromises reintegration efforts”
There were 1,021,431 people detained in the 51 penitentiary administrations on January 31, 2024, a median rate of 105 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants on the continent.
Slovenia (+ 25.4 %), Sweden (+ 15.5 %) and Malta (+ 11.1 %) saw their prison populations increase the most in one year.
Conversely, incarceration rates have dropped significantly in Bulgaria (-14.5 %), Luxembourg (-14.5 %) and Turkey (-12.9 %). However, the latter country is where the incarceration rate is the highest, with 356 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants.
“Overcrowding seriously compromises the living conditions of the prison population and the reintegration efforts of penitentiary administrations,” notes Professor Marcelo Aebi, head of the research team at the University of Lausanne, who compiled this data for the Council of Europe. “In addition to promoting alternative sanctions to imprisonment, reducing the duration of sentences, in particular for non-violent and low-risk offenders, can be a powerful tool to reduce incarceration rates,” he notes.