Prison capacity and number of persons held in Spain
Spain: Prison capacity and number of persons held was 73,956 Number in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
73,956 Number
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
4th
of 46 countries
All-time high
76,864 Number
in 2023
All-time low
64,109 Number
in 2017
Years of data
9
2016–2024
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Spain, 2016–2024
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Number.
Analysis
In 2024, prison capacity and number of persons held in Spain stood at 73,956 Number.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.8% on the previous year and up 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison capacity and number of persons held in Spain peaked at 76,864 Number in 2023 and was at its lowest, 64,109 Number, in 2017.
Spain ranks 4th of 46 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Spain, year by year
| Year | Number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 64,144 Number | — |
| 2017 | 64,109 Number | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 64,237 Number | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 64,235 Number | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 75,029 Number | +16.8% |
| 2021 | 74,564 Number | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 74,367 Number | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 76,864 Number | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 73,956 Number | -3.8% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 73,956 Number is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7,404 Number, 10.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Spain's 73,956 Number is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,040 Number, 9.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 64,181 Number | 64,109 Number | 64,237 Number | 4 |
| 2020s | 74,956 Number | 73,956 Number | 76,864 Number | 5 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More urban development data for Spain
- Population in the largest city 17.1% (2025)
- Population density 97.76 people per sq. km of land area (2024)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 10.08 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 12.54 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.2542 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.3889 % 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 24.89 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 6.81 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 18.8 Tonnes (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison capacity and number of persons held in Spain?
- Prison capacity and number of persons held in Spain was 73,956 Number in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 76,864 Number in 2023.
- What is the lowest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 64,109 Number in 2017.
- How does Spain rank for prison capacity and number of persons held?
- Spain ranks 4th out of 46 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prison capacity and number of persons held rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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 — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).