Turkey and France top Europe in prison overcrowding

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey and France have the highest prison overcrowding rates among Council of Europe member states, according to the organization’s latest report on prison conditions.

Citing the Council of Europe report, Euronews said both Turkey and France recorded a prison occupancy rate of 131%, placing them at the top of the list. The report shows that overcrowding remains a persistent problem across Europe, with several prison systems operating under serious pressure.

Turkey also ranked first by a wide margin in incarceration rate among the Council of Europe’s 46 member states. According to the report, Turkey has 458 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Azerbaijan and Moldova.

Turkey and France share the top overcrowding rate

The Council of Europe report is based on data provided by prison administrations in its 46 member states.

According to the findings, Turkey and France both reported a prison occupancy rate of 131%, meaning their prison populations exceed official capacity by nearly one-third.

They were followed by Croatia at 123%, Italy at 121%, Malta at 118%, Cyprus at 117%, Hungary at 115%, Belgium at 114% and Ireland at 112%.

The figures show that overcrowding is not limited to one region or one type of justice system. Instead, it has become a broader structural problem affecting different parts of Europe.

The Council of Europe warns that even a 90% occupancy rate can indicate high risk and serious operational pressure inside prison systems.

Turkey leads in incarceration rate

One of the most striking findings in the report is Turkey’s position in the incarceration rate ranking.

Turkey has 458 prisoners per 100,000 people, the highest rate among Council of Europe member states. Azerbaijan followed with 271 prisoners per 100,000 people, while Moldova recorded 245 and Georgia 232.

Among European Union countries, Hungary had one of the highest incarceration rates, with 206 prisoners per 100,000 people. It was followed by Poland with 189, Czechia with 178 and Slovakia with 151.

The report noted that incarceration rates remain higher in eastern Europe. However, Turkey’s figure stands far above the European average.

Turkey saw the largest increase in prisoners

Turkey also recorded the biggest increase in prisoner numbers between January 2024 and January 2025.

According to the Council of Europe report, the number of prisoners in Turkey rose by 29% during that period. Ukraine recorded the largest decline, with an 18% drop.

Across all Council of Europe member states, the total prison population increased by 8.5% in one year, reaching 1,107,921 people as of 31 January 2025.

The average incarceration rate across the region was recorded at 110 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants.

The rise suggests that prison systems across Europe are facing growing pressure and that capacity issues are becoming more visible in several countries.

Serious overcrowding reported in nine countries

Between 31 January 2024 and 31 January 2025, the number of prisoners per 100 available places across Council of Europe states rose from 94.7 to 95.2.

In the previous assessment, six countries reported serious overcrowding. That number has now risen to nine.

Turkey, France, Croatia, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Hungary, Belgium and Ireland were listed among countries facing serious overcrowding.

Five other countries were above capacity and categorized as experiencing “moderate overcrowding.” These were Finland, Greece, Scotland in the United Kingdom, North Macedonia and Sweden.

Several systems are close to capacity

The report also showed that several countries are operating very close to full prison capacity.

Portugal’s prison system was running at 99% capacity. Romania was at 100%, while Azerbaijan stood at 98%. England and Wales, Serbia, Czechia, the Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland were all around 95% to 96%.

These figures indicate that even countries not formally classified as severely overcrowded are under significant pressure.

Because the Council of Europe considers 90% occupancy a warning threshold, many prison systems may require close monitoring and policy adjustments.

Share of women prisoners increased

The report also found that the share of women in prison increased across Council of Europe countries.

Women accounted for 5.2% of the prison population, up from 4.8% a year earlier.

Among countries with more than 500,000 inhabitants, the largest increases in the share of women prisoners were recorded in Hungary, Czechia, Malta and Sweden.

The lowest proportions were reported in Albania, Armenia, Montenegro and Azerbaijan.

The report also found that foreign nationals make up a growing share of the prison population. Non-citizens account for 17% of prisoners across Council of Europe countries.

Prison populations are aging

The Council of Europe also drew attention to the aging of prison populations.

The number of prisoners aged 65 and older has increased. Although experts say this age group still represents a relatively modest share of the total prison population, they warn that prison systems will increasingly need to address complex health-related needs.

The organization said future prison management will have to take into account health care, chronic illnesses, cognitive decline and mobility limitations.

Portugal and Italy had the highest average prisoner age, at 42. They were followed by Montenegro, Estonia and Serbia, with an average age of 41.

The youngest prison populations were recorded in Moldova at 30, Sweden at 34, and France, Cyprus and Denmark at 35.

Long sentences and pretrial detention add pressure

The report also examined how long prison sentences and pretrial detention affect prison systems, using Portugal as an example.

Portugal has the longest average prison sentence duration in Europe. While the European average is 9.7 months, the Portuguese average is 31.4 months.

As of 31 January 2025, Portugal had 9,645 convicted prisoners. Of those, 3,741 were serving sentences of between five and 10 years, while 1,423 were serving sentences of between 10 and 20 years. Another 1,423 prisoners were serving sentences longer than 20 years.

Vítor Ilharco, secretary general of Portugal’s Prisoners’ Support Association, told Euronews that the way sentence reduction rules are applied in Portugal contributes to prison pressure.

He said Portugal would have no more than 6,500 prisoners if its rules were applied as they are in the rest of Europe.

Ilharco also criticized the frequent use of pretrial detention instead of non-custodial measures, saying that the system often places people in prison first and investigates later.

According to Council of Europe penal statistics, people later convicted in Portugal spent an average of 57 days in pretrial detention. That is more than double the European average of 21 days.

Prison pressure grows across Europe

The Council of Europe report shows that prison overcrowding has become a structural challenge across the continent.

Turkey and France ranking first in overcrowding, Turkey leading in incarceration rate, and the total prison population rising across member states point to wider pressure on justice and prison systems.

Experts say overcrowding is not only a question of physical capacity. It also affects health care, security, rehabilitation, human rights standards, pretrial detention policy and alternatives to imprisonment.

The report suggests that member states may need to address prison policy not only by expanding capacity, but also by reviewing sentencing practices, detention rules and reintegration mechanisms.

For Turkey, the findings are especially significant because the country leads both in incarceration rate and in the sharpest annual rise in prisoner numbers.

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