Prison capacity and number of persons held in Romania
Romania: Prison capacity and number of persons held was 20,795 Number in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Romania, 2008–2024
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Number.
Analysis
In 2024, prison capacity and number of persons held in Romania stood at 20,795 Number.
The figure is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 28.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison capacity and number of persons held in Romania peaked at 34,299 Number in 2008 and was at its lowest, 19,414 Number, in 2018.
That places Romania 8th out of 46 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Romania, year by year
| Year | Number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 34,299 Number | — |
| 2009 | 33,960 Number | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 34,165 Number | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 26,618 Number | -22.1% |
| 2012 | 27,125 Number | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 29,389 Number | +8.3% |
| 2014 | 28,901 Number | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 27,479 Number | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 27,889 Number | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 20,408 Number | -26.8% |
| 2018 | 19,414 Number | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 19,522 Number | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 19,532 Number | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 19,774 Number | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 20,571 Number | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 21,587 Number | +4.9% |
| 2024 | 20,795 Number | -3.7% |
Romania compared with similar countries
- Romania's 20,795 Number is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7,404 Number, 2.8× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Romania's 20,795 Number is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,040 Number, 2.6× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Prison capacity and number of persons held in Romania changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | -26.8% | 27,889 Number | 20,408 Number |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 34,130 Number | 33,960 Number | 34,299 Number | 2 |
| 2010s | 26,091 Number | 19,414 Number | 34,165 Number | 10 |
| 2020s | 20,452 Number | 19,532 Number | 21,587 Number | 5 |
Countries ranked near Romania
More urban development data for Romania
- Population in the largest city 17.7% (2025)
- Population density 82.81 people per sq. km of land area (2024)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 16.01 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.76 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.0925 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual -0.499 % 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 7.72 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.76 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 5.17 Tonnes (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison capacity and number of persons held in Romania?
- Prison capacity and number of persons held in Romania was 20,795 Number in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 34,299 Number in 2008.
- What is the lowest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 19,414 Number in 2018.
- How does Romania rank for prison capacity and number of persons held?
- Romania ranks 8th out of 46 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prison capacity and number of persons held rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Romania 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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