Highest prison populations

Around the world, more than 9 million people are currently in prisons. That is equal to the size of the population of Sweden or Bolivia. Which country has the highest number of prisoners?

Answers:
A. China
B. Russia
C. United Kingdom
D. United States





D. United States is correct.

The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population, but about 25 percent of its prisoners. It has the highest absolute number of people in jail, with 2.3 million prisoners, and also the highest incarceration rate, with 751 people in jail for every 100,000 people.

China has the second-highest number of prisoners in the world, with 1.6 million. However, it has only the 113th-highest incarceration rate, with 119 people out of every 100,000 in jail, according to the International Center for Prison Studies at King's College London.

Russia has a total of 890,000 prisoners, ranking third worldwide. However, at 632 people in jail per 100,000, it has the second-highest incarceration rate. The United Kingdom has 82,000 prisoners, the 18th-highest number in the world

The Globalist Quiz is produced by The Globalist, a Washington research organization that promotes awareness of world affairs. © 2008 The Globalist, www.theglobalist.com.