Skip to content
Search
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

Puppet Regime is up for a Webby Award!   VOTE HERE
Graphic Truth

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

A list of the ten countries with the highest prison incarceration rates per 100,000 people.
Luisa Vieira
By Gabrielle Debinski,
Gabrielle Debinski

Gabrielle Debinski is a former senior writer at GZERO Media.

See Full Bio
Luisa Vieira
Luisa Vieira
Luísa is a graphic designer at Eurasia Group and GZERO Media.
See Full Bio
March 01, 2023

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.

graphic truthnayib bukeleprisonsgangsrwandacubaunited statespanamathailandsouth americabrazilturkeyel salvador

Latest Videos

Who’s negotiating with Iran to keep trade moving?play icon
Quick Take

Who’s negotiating with Iran to keep trade moving?

How Hungary's Orbán built his empire, and why it's cracking
Ian Explains

How Hungary's Orbán built his empire, and why it's cracking

What a Viktor Orbán loss would mean for Trump
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

What a Viktor Orbán loss would mean for Trump

Trump and Putin demand your vote
Puppet Regime

Trump and Putin demand your vote

We are a Webby Nominee | The Webby Awards | Vote for Us | Voting open until Thursday, April 16th | Puppet Regime puppets shown
Editor's Picks

Vote for Puppet Regime in the Webby Awards!

How the Iran war is affecting Europe’s economy
GZERO Europe

How the Iran war is affecting Europe’s economy

More For You

US defense spending vs. the world

Top defense budgets globally compared the US​

Top defense budgets globally compared the US

Natalie Johnson
China has boosted its defense spending 13-fold over the past three decades, modernizing its weapons and military into a force capable of operating beyond its borders. The buildup isn’t happening in isolation. Military spending in the Middle East climbed to 4.3% of the region’s GDP last year, up from 3.5% in 2022, driven in part by Israel after the [...]

Where US tariffs stand one year after Liberation Day

Where US tariffs stand one year after Liberation Day

Where US tariffs stand one year after Liberation Day

Natalie Johnson, Eileen Zhang
US President Donald Trump rattled the global economy when he announced tariffs on around 90 countries on “Liberation Day” one year ago today, but probably not in the way either supporters or critics first imagined. At its peak, the tariffs the US imposed were the highest in nearly a century, yet tariffs haven’t broken the global economy. They [...]

Who’s protesting in 2026?

Who’s protesting in 2026?

Top ten countries with the most protests in 2026.

Natalie Johnson
This weekend, “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration occurred across the United States, drawing an estimated 8 million people across more than 3,300 events from the Alaskan Arctic to Puerto Rico. The movement is backed by a patchwork of progressive groups in the US. [...]

Where the US is cutting deals in Africa

Map of countries in Africa that have cur deals with the US after USAID defunding.

Map of countries in Africa that have cur deals with the US after USAID defunding.

Natalie Johnson
Since his return to the White House last year, President Donald Trump has systematically gutted USAID, the government agency that oversees US efforts to improve health and education and fight poverty around the world. Most contracts were canceled, its budget was cut, and what was left of the agency’s functions were folded into the State [...]