Nicosia: Cyprus experienced the most overcrowding in its prison system in 2023, ranking first among all EU member states with an occupancy rate nearly double that of France, according to data released by Eurostat.
According to Cyprus News Agency, in 2023, 13 EU member states reported overcrowded prisons, indicating that their facilities had to accommodate more prisoners than they were designed for. Cyprus led this list with an occupancy rate of 226.2%, followed by France at 122.9% and Italy at 119.1%. Conversely, the lowest prison occupancy rates were observed in Estonia at 56.2%, Luxembourg at 60.8%, and Bulgaria at 67.7%.
The total number of prisoners across the EU reached approximately 499,000 in 2023, marking a 3.2% increase compared to 2022. The EU average stood at 111 prisoners per 100,000 people, slightly above the 108 per 100,000 recorded in 2022.
Despite its high overcrowding rate, Cyprus had a prisoner rate below the EU average, with 101 prisoners per 100,000 people. The total number of prisoners in Cyprus in 2023 was 959, the highest since 2013.
From 1993 to 2023, the EU recorded its highest number of prisoners in 2012 with 553,000. Following a period of stability between 2017 and 2019, there was a 6.6% decrease in prisoner numbers in 2020, followed by a 7.7% increase from 2021 to 2023.
In 2023, Poland had the highest prisoner rates per 100,000 people in the EU at 203, followed by Hungary at 187 and Czechia at 181. Finland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia had the lowest rates at 53, 66, and 68 respectively.