Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in World

World: Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population was 30.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
30.9%
Change on year
down 1.3%
Rank
11th
of 28 groups
All-time high
31.7%
in 2021
All-time low
28.3%
in 2011
Years of data
22
2003–2024

Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in World, 2003–2024

01020302003201320242003: 29.92004: 292005: 29.52006: 29.72007: 29.72008: 292009: 29.12010: 28.42011: 28.32012: 28.72013: 28.92014: 29.52015: 29.42016: 302017: 29.92018: 29.62019: 29.22020: 30.62021: 31.72022: 31.32023: 31.32024: 30.9

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

In 2024, unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in World stood at 30.9%.

The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in World peaked at 31.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 28.3%, in 2011.

World ranks 11th of 28 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in World, year by year

Annual values for Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population (%) in World, 2003 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2003 29.9%
2004 29.0% -3.1%
2005 29.5% +1.6%
2006 29.7% +0.6%
2007 29.7% +0.1%
2008 29.0% -2.3%
2009 29.1% +0.2%
2010 28.4% -2.5%
2011 28.3% -0.2%
2012 28.7% +1.5%
2013 28.9% +0.7%
2014 29.5% +2.1%
2015 29.4% -0.3%
2016 30.0% +1.9%
2017 29.9% -0.2%
2018 29.6% -1.0%
2019 29.2% -1.4%
2020 30.6% +4.8%
2021 31.7% +3.5%
2022 31.3% -1.2%
2023 31.3% -0.1%
2024 30.9% -1.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 29.4% 29.0% 29.9% 7
2010s 29.2% 28.3% 30.0% 10
2020s 31.2% 30.6% 31.7% 5

Countries ranked near World

  1. 8 Philippines 65.2% compare
  2. 9 Paraguay 63.9% compare
  3. 10 Faroe Islands 63.6% compare
  4. 11 Trinidad and Tobago 62.3% compare
  5. 12 Saint Lucia 62.1% compare
  6. 13 Albania 62.0% compare
  7. 14 Dominican Republic 62.0% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More infrastructure data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in World?
Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in World was 30.9% 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 World?
The highest recorded value was 31.7% in 2021.
What is the lowest unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 28.3% in 2011.
How does World rank for unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population?
World ranks 11th out of 28 groups with data for 2024.
Is unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this World 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in World. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/unsentenced-detainees-as-a-proportion-of-overall-prison-population-percent/world/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/unsentenced-detainees-as-a-proportion-of-overall-prison-population-percent/world/">Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population in World</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
186 places, 3,007 data points, 2003–2024
Last refreshed