Prison capacity and number of persons held in Portugal
Portugal: Prison capacity and number of persons held was 12,608 in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
12,608
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
10th
of 37 countries
All-time high
12,934
in 2018
All-time low
12,102
in 2009
Years of data
17
2008–2024
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Portugal, 2008–2024
Source: Eurostat.
Analysis
In 2024, prison capacity and number of persons held in Portugal stood at 12,608.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison capacity and number of persons held in Portugal peaked at 12,934 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 12,102, in 2009.
Portugal ranks 10th of 37 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Portugal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 12,464 | — |
| 2009 | 12,102 | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 12,174 | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 12,330 | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 12,342 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 12,400 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 12,591 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 12,591 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12,600 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 12,694 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 12,934 | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 12,934 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12,923 | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 12,618 | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 12,673 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 12,663 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 12,608 | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12,283 | 12,102 | 12,464 | 2 |
| 2010s | 12,559 | 12,174 | 12,934 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12,697 | 12,608 | 12,923 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More urban development data for Portugal
- Population in the largest city 45.6% (2025)
- Population density 115.47 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 8.77 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 4.36 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.4037 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.427 % 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 47.22 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 3.03 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 1.7 Tonnes (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison capacity and number of persons held in Portugal?
- Prison capacity and number of persons held in Portugal was 12,608 in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 12,934 in 2018.
- What is the lowest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,102 in 2009.
- How does Portugal rank for prison capacity and number of persons held?
- Portugal ranks 10th out of 37 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prison capacity and number of persons held rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Portugal 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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