Prison capacity and number of persons held in Iceland
Iceland: Prison capacity and number of persons held was 160 Number in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
160 Number
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
45th
of 46 countries
All-time high
181 Number
in 2021
All-time low
140 Number
in 2016
Years of data
14
2008–2024
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Iceland, 2008–2024
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Number.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prison capacity and number of persons held in Iceland is 160 Number, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison capacity and number of persons held in Iceland peaked at 181 Number in 2021 and was at its lowest, 140 Number, in 2016.
That places Iceland 45th out of 46 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 145 Number | — |
| 2009 | 145 Number | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 141 Number | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 164 Number | +16.3% |
| 2014 | 155 Number | -5.5% |
| 2015 | 148 Number | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 140 Number | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 162 Number | +15.7% |
| 2019 | 177 Number | +9.3% |
| 2020 | 175 Number | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 181 Number | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 181 Number | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 160 Number | -11.6% |
| 2024 | 160 Number | +0.0% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 160 Number is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7,404 Number, 2% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 160 Number is below the median for high income countries, which is 8,040 Number, 2% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 145 Number | 145 Number | 145 Number | 2 |
| 2010s | 155.29 Number | 140 Number | 177 Number | 7 |
| 2020s | 171.4 Number | 160 Number | 181 Number | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 42 Luxembourg 932 Number compare
- 43 Malta 810 Number compare
- 44 Cyprus 424 Number compare
- 46 Liechtenstein 22 Number compare
More urban development data for Iceland
- Population density 3.83 people per sq. km of land area (2024)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 4.93 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 3.16 Hectares (2020)
- Establishments, bedrooms and bed-places in tourist accommodation, by 1,124 Number (2020)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 10.3% (2017)
- Nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments by degree of 9.52 million Number (2023)
- Expenditure on housing function by type of benefit and means-testing 129.35 Million euro (2024)
- Housing cost overburden rate by age, sex and poverty status 13.1% (2020)
- At-risk-of-poverty rate after deducting housing costs by age and sex 28.3% (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison capacity and number of persons held in Iceland?
- Prison capacity and number of persons held in Iceland was 160 Number in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 181 Number in 2021.
- What is the lowest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 140 Number in 2016.
- How does Iceland rank for prison capacity and number of persons held?
- Iceland ranks 45th out of 46 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prison capacity and number of persons held rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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 · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).