The Graphic Truth: How does El Salvador's prison rate stack up?

March 01, 2023

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A list of the ten countries with the highest prison incarceration rates per 100,000 people.

Luisa Vieira

El Salvador made headlines in recent days after President Nayib Bukele released photos of gang members being corralled into the country’s new mega-prison – a sprawling complex that will eventually hold 40,000 inmates. It’s the latest development in Bukele’s massive – and very popular – crackdown on gangs, in which Salvadoran authorities have locked up almost 2% of the adult population. (Never mind that US officials have recently accused Bukele of colluding with the very gangs he says he’s trying to stamp out!) El Salvador now has the highest prison rate per 100,000 people in the world – but how does that compare globally? Here we take a look at the countries with the highest official prison rates.

Speaker ejects Poilievre from Parliament

Leader of Canada's Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, speaks during a 'Spike the Hike - Axe the Tax' rally in Edmonton, on March 27, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Artur Widak/Reuters

Speaking of performative legislative moves, Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievrewas ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday for calling Justin Trudeau a “wacko” and refusing to withdraw his remark when asked to do so by Speaker Greg Fergus.

The Graphic Truth: How does El Salvador's prison rate stack up?

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The Graphic Truth: How does El Salvador's prison rate stack up?

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.

What started as a reaction to the Hamas-orchestrated massacre of Oct. 7 and the extent of the deadly counteroffensive by the Israeli military has now grown to encompass wider, more amorphous issues, writes GZERO Publisher Evan Solomon.

Carney, the former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, wants to be Canada’s prime minister, so he is letting it be known that he might do a better job than Trudeau while warning against the alternative.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

Polling shows that most Canadians like the idea of taking more from those well enough off to need to use the capital gains exemption, which shelters some income from the sale of a business or vacation home from the taxman.

Speaking of performative legislative moves, Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievrewas ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday for calling Justin Trudeau a “wacko” and refusing to withdraw his remark when asked to do so by Speaker Greg Fergus.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., plans to force a vote to try to oust Speaker Mike Johnson next week, but Democrats say they will come to his rescue.

Gaza is politically jamming Joe Biden while his opponent deals with personal business in a New York courtroom. This week, it looked like former President Donald Trump might even end up in jail.

Police moved in to end disruptive Gaza protest encampments at universities across the US this week as President Joe Biden pushed for a cease-fire in the war that sparked the demonstrations.