Highest prison population by country for 2003 through 2016

Based on data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Note that United States is leading the world in imprisonment. A dubious distinction indeed! And also, note that it remains more or less uniform through the years. Is that the result of a tough-on-crime policy?

Note: Missing bars indicate data not available.

Numbers on European Countries

The following shows the numbers for european countries. I have included United States to show how high the numbers are compared to most of the western countries.

Note: Missing bars indicate data not available.

The Picture in Asia

Asia too is pretty low when it comes to imprisonment rates. A small surprise - Taiwan is higher than China in imprisonment rates.

Note: Missing bars indicate data not available.

References