Uzbekistan ranks 166th in global prison population ranking

The ranking measures the number of people held in places of deprivation of liberty per 100,000 inhabitants and is based on statistics compiled by national authorities and international institutions. The figures are published annually in the institute's World Prison Brief.

Among Central Asian countries, Turkmenistan ranked fourth globally with 576 prisoners per 100,000 people. Kazakhstan placed 103rd with 163 prisoners, followed by Tajikistan in 112th place with 145, Kyrgyzstan in 145th with 112, and Uzbekistan in 166th with 85.

Elsewhere in the region, Armenia ranked 167th with 83 prisoners per 100,000 people, Georgia 41st with 285, Azerbaijan 50th with 264, Russia 35th with 300, Turkey 10th with 468, and Ukraine 138th with 116.

El Salvador recorded the world's highest incarceration rate, with 1,659 prisoners per 100,000 people. It was followed by Cuba with 794, Rwanda with 620, Turkmenistan with 576 and the United States with 542.

The lowest incarceration rates were reported in Yemen with 14 prisoners per 100,000 people, Somalia with 16 and Liechtenstein with 20.

According to the institute, the ranking includes individuals detained during criminal proceedings, held in pretrial detention or serving prison sentences following conviction. It does not include people held for administrative reasons, such as immigration detention.