There are more prisoners in Poland’s jails than in any other EU member state, shows a report by Eurostat.

Between 2005 and 2007, there were on average 607,000 people in prison in the European Union, which is an equivalent to around 123 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants.

The highest average prisoner rates were recorded in Poland (228 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants) and the Baltic countries: Lithuania (232), Latvia (293) and Estonia (302).

The lowest rates were registered in Slovenia (60) and Scandinavian countries: Finland (68), Denmark (71) and Sweden (77).

Out of 607,000 prisoners in the European Union 90,200 are jailed in Poland, which is almost the same number as in Turkey (90,730 prisoners). Meanwhile, in Germany, which has twice the population of Poland‘s, there are fewer prisoners (73,320). Worldwide the biggest amount of people held in prison is in the US (2,375,620). (mg/pg)