Council of Europe warns of worsening prison overcrowding, ageing inmates, and rising female incarceration across Europe

Europe-Asia

INTERNATIONAL (NPA) — The Council of Europe’s 2025 annual penal statistics (SPACE I) reveal that prison overcrowding remains a pressing challenge across the continent, with 95 inmates for every 100 available places. Severe overcrowding was reported in nine prison systems, including Türkiye and France (131 inmates per 100 places), Croatia (123), Italy (121), Malta (118), Cyprus (117), Hungary (115), Belgium (114) and Ireland (112). Moderate overcrowding was noted in Finland (110), Greece (108), Scotland (106), North Macedonia (104) and Sweden (103), while several other countries operated at or near full capacity. The report emphasises that overcrowding not only strains prison infrastructure but also undermines rehabilitation and human rights standards.

The survey shows Europe’s prison population reached 1,107,921 individuals as of January 2025, representing a median imprisonment rate of 110 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants. While the overall rate remained stable compared to 2024, some countries experienced sharp increases: Türkiye (+29%), Montenegro (+22%), Luxembourg (+20%), Sweden (+15%), and Greece (+14%). By contrast, incarceration rates fell significantly in Ukraine (-18%), Slovakia (-16%), and Georgia (-11%). Türkiye recorded the highest imprisonment rate at 458 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Azerbaijan (271) and the Republic of Moldova (245).

The report also noted that one in four prisoners across Europe was in pre‑trial detention, with Albania (62%) and Montenegro (53%) among the highest, while Bulgaria (7%) and Czechia (8.2%) reported the lowest proportions.

Demographic shifts are reshaping prison populations. The average age of inmates is now 39, with Italy and Portugal reporting the oldest average at 42. The proportion of elderly prisoners has risen from 2.5% in 2020 to 2.9% in 2025, raising concerns about health care, mobility, and chronic illness management in prisons. Croatia reported the highest share of inmates aged 65 or above at 10.8%.

At the same time, the proportion of women in prison rose from 4.8% to 5.2%, with Hungary (8.8%) and Czechia (8.6%) recording the highest shares. Foreign nationals also make up a significant part of prison populations, averaging 17% across Europe, with Luxembourg (78%) and Switzerland (73%) reporting the largest proportions.

Drug offences remain the most common crime, accounting for 17.3% of sentences, followed by theft (12.1%). Violent crimes represent nearly one‑third of convictions, including homicide (10.9%), sexual offences (8.6%), assault (6.3%), and robbery (6.1%).

The Council of Europe warns that overcrowding, ageing inmates, and rising female incarceration will pose serious operational and policy challenges in the years ahead, urging governments to adopt reforms that balance security with human rights.