Prison capacity and number of persons held in France
France: Prison capacity and number of persons held was 62,385 Number in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
62,385 Number
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
6th
of 46 countries
All-time high
62,385 Number
in 2024
All-time low
51,997 Number
in 2008
Years of data
17
2008–2024
Prison capacity and number of persons held in France, 2008–2024
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Number.
Analysis
In 2024, prison capacity and number of persons held in France stood at 62,385 Number. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison capacity and number of persons held in France peaked at 62,385 Number in 2024 and was at its lowest, 51,997 Number, in 2008.
France ranks 6th of 46 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Prison capacity and number of persons held in France, year by year
| Year | Number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 51,997 Number | — |
| 2009 | 54,988 Number | +5.8% |
| 2010 | 56,358 Number | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 57,236 Number | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 56,992 Number | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 57,516 Number | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 57,841 Number | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 58,561 Number | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 58,681 Number | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 59,765 Number | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 60,151 Number | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 61,037 Number | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 60,598 Number | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 60,749 Number | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 60,670 Number | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 61,767 Number | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 62,385 Number | +1.0% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 62,385 Number is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7,404 Number, 8.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- France's 62,385 Number is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,040 Number, 7.8× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 53,492 Number | 51,997 Number | 54,988 Number | 2 |
| 2010s | 58,414 Number | 56,358 Number | 61,037 Number | 10 |
| 2020s | 61,234 Number | 60,598 Number | 62,385 Number | 5 |
Countries ranked near France
More urban development data for France
- Population in the largest city 20.9% (2025)
- Population density 127.19 people per sq. km of land area (2024)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 8.23 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 15.87 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.2309 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.6226 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 29.09 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 11.35 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 19.12 Tonnes (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison capacity and number of persons held in France?
- Prison capacity and number of persons held in France was 62,385 Number in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 62,385 Number in 2024.
- What is the lowest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 51,997 Number in 2008.
- How does France rank for prison capacity and number of persons held?
- France ranks 6th out of 46 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prison capacity and number of persons held rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Prison capacity and number of persons held. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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