"• The countries with the highest prison population rate – that is, the number of prisoners per 100,000 of the national population – are the United States (629 per 100,000), followed by Rwanda (580), Turkmenistan (576), El Salvador (564), Cuba (510), Palau (478), British Virgin Islands (447), Panama (436), St Kitts & Nevis (423), Grenada (413), Thailand (412), U.S. Virgin Islands (394), Bahamas (392), Uruguay (383) and Brazil (381).

"• By contrast, more than half of all countries and territories (53%) have rates below 150 per 100,000.

"• The world prison population rate, based on United Nations estimates of national population levels, is 140 per 100,000."

(Editor's Note: In the World Prison Population report, "prisoners" includes people incarcerated in both prisons and jails in the US.)

Source

Fair, Helen, and Walmsley, Roy, World Prison Population List (Thirteenth Edition), London, England: International Centre for Prison Studies, School of Law at Birkbeck, University of London.