The U.S. incarcerates more of its people than other nations: Approximate number of people in jail or prison per 100,000 population
| Country | People in jail per 100,000 total national population |
|---|---|
| United States | 700 |
| Turkmenistan | 600 |
| El Salvador | 500 |
| Cuba | 500 |
| Thailand | 450 |
| Russian Federation | 450 |
| South Africa | 300 |
| Iran | 300 |
| Israel | 250 |
| Turkey | 250 |
| Australia | 150 |
| U.K. (England and Wales) | 150 |
| Spain | 150 |
| Canada | 100 |
| France | 100 |
Note: Many widely circulated reports provide more specific numbers than the approximate numbers shown here. For example, commonly reported estimates of current U.S. incarceration rates are 693 and 707 per 100,000. But methodologies vary, and rather than arbitrarily using the specific estimates of only one such report, we use approximate numbers here because it is the magnitude of differences that is important, not the specific estimates.
Source: Peter Wagner and Alison Walsh, “States of Incarceration: The Global Context,” Prison Policy Initiative, 2016