Prison capacity and number of persons held in Germany
Germany: Prison capacity and number of persons held was 72,096 in 2024. β¬ Flat
Latest (2024)
72,096
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
3rd
of 37 countries
All-time high
75,793
in 2014
All-time low
72,096
in 2024
Years of data
11
2014β2024
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Germany, 2014β2024
Source: Eurostat.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prison capacity and number of persons held in Germany is 72,096, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison capacity and number of persons held in Germany peaked at 75,793 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 72,096, in 2024.
That places Germany 3rd out of 37 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 74,049 | 72,967 | 75,793 | 6 |
| 2020s | 72,366 | 72,096 | 72,630 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More urban development data for Germany
- Population in the largest city 5.2% (2025)
- Population density 238.35 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 8.81 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 8.11 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.0972 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.1772 % 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 23.13 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 3.58 million (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 1,834 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison capacity and number of persons held in Germany?
- Prison capacity and number of persons held in Germany was 72,096 in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 75,793 in 2014.
- What is the lowest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 72,096 in 2024.
- How does Germany rank for prison capacity and number of persons held?
- Germany ranks 3rd out of 37 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prison capacity and number of persons held rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Germany 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
CSV Β· JSON β 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).