Cyprus Tops EU List for Prison Overcrowding

Cyprus had the most overcrowded prisons in the European Union in 2023, according to data published by Eurostat, the EU’s official statistics agency. The island’s prison system was operating at 226.2% capacity — the highest rate among all EU member states.

That year, 13 EU countries reported prison populations exceeding their official capacity. Despite this, Cyprus remained below the EU average in terms of prisoners per capita, with 101 inmates per 100,000 residents. The total number of prisoners stood at 959, the highest recorded on the island since 2013.

France had the second most overcrowded prison system, with a 122.9% occupancy rate. In contrast, Estonia (56.2%) and Luxembourg (60.8%) had the lowest occupancy levels in the EU.

When looking at the number of prisoners per 100,000 people, Poland (203) and Hungary (187) topped the list, while Finland and the Netherlands had the lowest incarceration rates.