BBC NEWS | In Depth

Scotland, where 135 people out of every 100,000 are in jail, is also above average. Northern Ireland, however, is among those countries with the lowest rates of imprisonment.

Italy's prisons are the most crowded, with an occupancy level of 131.5%. Belgium has the most un-sentenced prisoners and the Netherlands has the most women prisoners.

To see how the UK compares to the rest of the world, click on the tab at the top of this page

Country	Prison population	Population per 100,000	Jail occupancy level %	Un-sentenced prisoners %	Women prisoners %
ENGLAND/WALES	80,002	148	112.7	16.4	5.5
GERMANY	77,166	94	96.5	17.1	5.3
SPAIN	63,991	144	129.5	23.5	8
ITALY	61,721	104	131.5	35.9	4.8
FRANCE	52,009	85	109.9	31.5	3.6
NETHERLANDS	21,013	128	95.6	30	8.7
PORTUGAL	12,765	120	103.7	23.8	7
BELGIUM	9,597	91	110.6	37.2	4.2
AUSTRIA	8,766	105	107.2	22.6	5.3
SWEDEN	7,450	82	102.7	20.3	5.2
SCOTLAND	6,872	134	107.5	21	4.4
SWITZERLAND	6,111	83	93.4	39	5.4
FINLAND	3,954	75	112.4	11.6	6.3
NORWAY	3,048	66	92.1	15.9	4.8
N IRELAND	1,375	79	91.5	37.4	2.2

SOURCE: International Centre for Prison Studies

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