With nearly two million prisoners, China ranks first globally.

In China, many inmates are political prisoners, including Uyghur ethnic minorities. Since 2017, hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs have been detained, along with their communities being subject to surveillance and forced labor.

America follows next, with incarceration rates of 614 per 100,000 people—more than three times higher than in China. This figure jumps significantly in southern states, with Louisiana’s standing at 1,067 per 100,000 people—second only to El Salvador in the world if it were considered a nation.

Ranking third is Brazil, with an estimated 664,000 inmates. The country’s prisons are notoriously overcrowded—some facilities in Rio de Janeiro operate at nearly 190% capacity. Russia also stands among the top five, with roughly 356,000 inmates, a country known for its highly corrupt justice system.