Prision Ministry

Canada’s incarceration rate is similar to the majority of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries

In 2013/2014, there were on average 37,864 offenders, both adult and youth, in custody on any given day in Canada, representing an overall incarceration rate of 118 persons in custody

Among the countries of the OECD, Canada’s incarceration rate ranks in the middle. The United States had the highest incarceration rate (707 persons in custody per 100,000 population) while Iceland reported the lowest incarceration rate (45 persons in custody per 100,000 population). Canada’s rate was about one-sixth that of the United States, but higher than that of many European countries of similar social and economic development.