Europe · Northern Europe

United Kingdom

High confidence

Verified 20 May 2026 · Data dated 27 Apr 2026

Fresh · 1mo ago

Combined England & Wales (~88k), Scotland (~8k), Northern Ireland (~1.8k). 2024 capacity crisis led to SDS40 early-release scheme.

Compare United Kingdom World Prison Brief page

Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.

Prison population

85,704

Year: 2026

Rate per 100,000

136

Per 100,000 residents

Occupancy

104.8%

Above design capacity

Pre-trial / remand

18.3%

Share not yet sentenced

Female prisoners

3.8%

Foreign nationals

12.3%

Conditions risk — across 584 facilities

Average of our computed Conditions Risk Score across the country's facilities. Methodology · Browse highest-risk

4/100

national average

1 elevated 4 moderate 52 low 527 unknown

abolitionist on capital punishment since 1998. Last known execution: 1964.ICCPR-OP2 (death-penalty abolition protocol): signatory

Seeded from Amnesty International 2024 categorisation + Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide.

Source: Amnesty International + Cornell Death Penalty Worldwide.

104 documented human-rights cases →

How United Kingdom compares

vs Europe (16) & global averages

Rate per 100,000this: 136 · region: 106 · global: 214

Occupancy ratethis: 105% · region: 96% · global: 125%

Pre-trial sharethis: 18% · region: 28% · global: 32%

The vertical ticks mark the global (grey) and regional (amber) means. Bars are clipped at the high end for readability.

Prison population over time

Annual figures, latest survey year

2000: 64,602-88.5% over 23y2023: 7,408

Source: World Prison Brief / Council of Europe SPACE I

What we know — and don't

Transparency about the boundaries of this data. Click sources where linked.

What we know

HMI Prisons publishes independent inspection reports for every facility on roughly a 5-year cycle.

Notable concerns

Operating above 99% of usable operational capacity since mid-2023; Standard Determinate Sentences early-release scheme active.

Reform in United Kingdom

All reform →

Laws, programmes, and pilots changing how United Kingdom incarcerates — plus relevant research.

SDS40 emergency early-release scheme2024–ongoing
decarceration · active
Faced with England & Wales prisons running out of cells in 2024, the new Labour government legislated to release most standard-determinate-sentence prisoners after 40% (rather than 50%) of their term served. The change applies to eligible prisoners across the existing population and to new sentences.

Country reports

Prison Population Projections 2024â2029 (England & Wales) · 2024
Preventing Prison Suicides · 2023

Capacity

—

Held

—

Atkinson Secure Children's Home

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Auchinleck, Temple, Camp 22, Base Camp

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Auchterarder, Prisoner of War Camp

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Aycliffe Secure Services

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Ayr, Doonfoot, Greenan Road, Camp 14, Base Camp

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Bagillt Gaol (Lock Up)

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Balbirnie Prisoner of War Camp Number 77

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Balbrogie, Prisoner of War Camp

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Balhary, Camp 3

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Ballingry, Capeldrae

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Banstead Prisoner-of-War Camp

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Barley lock-up

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Barton Moss Education Centre

United Kingdom · Salford

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Beaumaris Gaol

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Beechfield Secure Children's Home

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

Beecraigs, Prisoner of War Camp

United Kingdom

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

See all 584 prisons in United Kingdom →

Data completeness

100%

Score based on how many fields are populated. We surface this so you know where the gaps are.

National population: 63,100,0002026
Source-verified: 20 May 2026
Source links: 3 cited

Sources

Direct citations for the figures on this page.

Primary reference
Find a prison â GOV.UK — UK Ministry of Justice / HMPPS
HM Inspectorate of Prisons â reports — HMI Prisons (UK)
World Prison Brief (ICPS, Birkbeck) — Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research
See /data-sources for our methodology.

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3: GBR