Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in South America
South America: Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population was 29.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in South America, 2003–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
South America recorded 29.5% for unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and down 31.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in South America peaked at 45.0% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 29.5%, in 2024.
That places South America 13th 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 South America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 40.0% | — |
| 2004 | 38.6% | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 37.3% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 44.9% | +20.5% |
| 2007 | 45.0% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 37.0% | -17.7% |
| 2009 | 43.9% | +18.6% |
| 2010 | 43.2% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 42.0% | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 42.8% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 42.5% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 43.3% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 40.8% | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 38.2% | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 38.2% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 38.0% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 34.5% | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 33.3% | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 33.1% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 32.0% | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 30.6% | -4.3% |
| 2024 | 29.5% | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 41.0% | 37.0% | 45.0% | 7 |
| 2010s | 40.3% | 34.5% | 43.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.7% | 29.5% | 33.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South America
- 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
- 14 Dominican Republic 62.0% compare
- 15 Niger 62.0% compare
- 16 Grenada 61.0% compare
More infrastructure data for South America
- Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted 9.9% (2024)
- Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight 9.9% (2024)
- Proportion of the target population who received 3 doses of 83.0% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 2.6% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 3.0% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 2.6% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 1.3% (2024)
- Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural 0.8% (2024)
- Total official flows for infrastructure, by recipient countries 4,428 (2024)
- Total reserves in months of imports 7.62 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in South America?
- Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in South America was 29.5% 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 South America?
- The highest recorded value was 45.0% in 2007.
- What is the lowest unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population recorded in South America?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.5% in 2024.
- How does South America rank for unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population?
- South America ranks 13th out of 28 groups with data for 2024.
- Is unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population rising or falling in South America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South 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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