Prison capacity and number of persons held in Italy
Italy: Prison capacity and number of persons held was 51,901 Number in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Italy, 2008–2024
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Number.
Analysis
In 2024, prison capacity and number of persons held in Italy stood at 51,901 Number. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison capacity and number of persons held in Italy peaked at 51,901 Number in 2024 and was at its lowest, 43,843 Number, in 2008.
That places Italy 7th out of 46 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Italy, year by year
| Year | Number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 43,843 Number | — |
| 2009 | 44,838 Number | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 45,791 Number | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 46,452 Number | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 47,864 Number | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 48,559 Number | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 50,282 Number | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 50,239 Number | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 50,806 Number | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 51,078 Number | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 51,141 Number | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 51,252 Number | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 51,126 Number | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 51,392 Number | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 51,767 Number | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 51,704 Number | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 51,901 Number | +0.4% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 51,901 Number is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7,404 Number, 7.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Italy's 51,901 Number is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,040 Number, 6.5× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 44,340 Number | 43,843 Number | 44,838 Number | 2 |
| 2010s | 49,346 Number | 45,791 Number | 51,252 Number | 10 |
| 2020s | 51,578 Number | 51,126 Number | 51,901 Number | 5 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More urban development data for Italy
- Population in the largest city 10.6% (2025)
- Population density 199.35 people per sq. km of land area (2024)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 14.29 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 11.51 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.1953 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.2457 % 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 38.72 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 4.35 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 34.69 Tonnes (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison capacity and number of persons held in Italy?
- Prison capacity and number of persons held in Italy was 51,901 Number in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 51,901 Number in 2024.
- What is the lowest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 43,843 Number in 2008.
- How does Italy rank for prison capacity and number of persons held?
- Italy ranks 7th out of 46 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prison capacity and number of persons held rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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.
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