Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in Central America
Central America: Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population was 31.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in Central America, 2003–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2024, unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in Central America stood at 31.3%. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 30.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in Central America peaked at 44.9% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 31.3%, in 2024.
That places Central America 10th out of 28 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in Central America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 42.6% | — |
| 2004 | 41.0% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 41.8% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 42.1% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 41.2% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 40.4% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 35.3% | -12.6% |
| 2010 | 36.2% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 38.5% | +6.3% |
| 2012 | 37.8% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 36.2% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 44.9% | +23.9% |
| 2015 | 42.5% | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 36.5% | -14.1% |
| 2017 | 33.6% | -7.8% |
| 2018 | 34.3% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 35.0% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 37.9% | +8.5% |
| 2021 | 37.7% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 34.0% | -9.7% |
| 2023 | 32.3% | -5.1% |
| 2024 | 31.3% | -3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.7% | 35.3% | 42.6% | 7 |
| 2010s | 37.6% | 33.6% | 44.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.6% | 31.3% | 37.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Central America
- 7 Sri Lanka 66.2% compare
- 8 Philippines 65.2% compare
- 8 Timor-Leste 23.8% compare
- 9 Paraguay 63.9% compare
- 10 Faroe Islands 63.6% compare
- 10 Türkiye 14.4% compare
- 11 Trinidad and Tobago 62.3% compare
- 11 Viet Nam 11.5% compare
- 12 Saint Lucia 62.1% compare
- 13 Albania 62.0% compare
More infrastructure data for Central America
- Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted 17.2% (2024)
- Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight 7.0% (2024)
- Proportion of the target population who received 3 doses of 80.0% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 3.1% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 2.8% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 1.2% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 1.2% (2024)
- Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural 0.4% (2024)
- Total official flows for infrastructure, by recipient countries 3,586 (2024)
- Total reserves in months of imports 3.91 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in Central America?
- Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in Central America was 31.3% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population recorded in Central America?
- The highest recorded value was 44.9% in 2014.
- What is the lowest unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population recorded in Central America?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.3% in 2024.
- How does Central America rank for unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population?
- Central America ranks 10th out of 28 groups with data for 2024.
- Is unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population rising or falling in Central America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Central America data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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