Cyprus records highest prison overcrowding rate in the EU in 2024

According to 2024 Eurostat data, Cyprus registered the highest prison overcrowding rate in the European Union with a capacity indicator of 227.6. Slovenia and France followed with capacity indicators of 134.2 and 129.3 respectively. Conversely, Estonia, Lithuania, and Luxembourg reported the lowest capacity indicators. The total number of prisoners in Cyprus rose to 965 in 2024 from 959 in 2023, although the rate per 100,000 inhabitants slightly decreased. Across the EU, the total prison population reached 508,746, marking a 2% increase from the previous year and a 9.8% rise since 2020. The average number of prisoners per 100,000 EU inhabitants was 113. Hungary, Poland, and Latvia reported the highest per-capita prison populations, while Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany reported the lowest. France, Poland, and Italy held the highest absolute numbers of inmates in the Union.