BRUSSELS, 14th May, 2025 (WAM) -- The European Union’s statistical office, Eurostat, has reported a rise in the number of prisoners across the EU’s 27 member states in 2023, reaching 499,000 inmates—an increase of 3.2 percent compared to 2022.
According to the statement, the highest incarceration rates per 100,000 people were recorded in Poland (203), followed by Hungary (187) and the Czech Republic (181). The lowest rates were observed in Finland (53), the Netherlands (66), and Slovenia (68).
Prison overcrowding was most severe in Cyprus, with an occupancy rate of 226.2 percent, followed by France (122.9 percent) and Italy (119.1 percent). The lowest occupancy rates were recorded in Estonia (56.2 percent), Luxembourg (60.8 percent), and Bulgaria (67.7 percent).