Prison capacity and number of persons held in Sweden
Sweden: Prison capacity and number of persons held was 10,054 Number in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
10,054 Number
Change on year
up 16.1%
World rank
19th
of 46 countries
All-time high
10,054 Number
in 2024
All-time low
6,147 Number
in 2017
Years of data
17
2008–2024
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Sweden, 2008–2024
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Number.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 10,054 Number for prison capacity and number of persons held in 2024. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is up 16.1% on the previous year and up 55.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison capacity and number of persons held in Sweden peaked at 10,054 Number in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6,147 Number, in 2017.
Sweden ranks 19th of 46 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 7,175 Number | — |
| 2009 | 6,981 Number | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 6,805 Number | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 7,045 Number | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 6,963 Number | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 6,675 Number | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 6,475 Number | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 6,262 Number | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 6,252 Number | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 6,147 Number | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 6,539 Number | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 6,657 Number | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 6,959 Number | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 7,595 Number | +9.1% |
| 2022 | 7,964 Number | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 8,658 Number | +8.7% |
| 2024 | 10,054 Number | +16.1% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 10,054 Number is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7,404 Number, 1.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 10,054 Number is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,040 Number, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7,078 Number | 6,981 Number | 7,175 Number | 2 |
| 2010s | 6,582 Number | 6,147 Number | 7,045 Number | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,246 Number | 6,959 Number | 10,054 Number | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More urban development data for Sweden
- Population in the largest city 18.4% (2025)
- Population density 25.95 people per sq. km of land area (2024)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 5.26 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.74 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.164 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 1.06 % 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 4.17 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.74 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 5.95 Tonnes (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison capacity and number of persons held in Sweden?
- Prison capacity and number of persons held in Sweden was 10,054 Number in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 10,054 Number in 2024.
- What is the lowest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,147 Number in 2017.
- How does Sweden rank for prison capacity and number of persons held?
- Sweden ranks 19th out of 46 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prison capacity and number of persons held rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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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