Prisoners by citizenship in Switzerland

Switzerland: Prisoners by citizenship was 6,722 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
6,722
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
22nd
of 48 countries
All-time high
6,722
in 2024
All-time low
5,303
in 2008
Years of data
17
2008–2024

Prisoners by citizenship in Switzerland, 2008–2024

02.0k4.0k6.0k2008201620242008: 5.3k2009: 5.6k2010: 5.8k2011: 5.6k2012: 6.1k2013: 6.7k2014: 6.5k2015: 6.5k2016: 6.5k2017: 6.6k2018: 6.6k2019: 6.6k2020: 6.2k2021: 6.1k2022: 6.3k2023: 6.6k2024: 6.7k

Source: Eurostat.

Analysis

In 2024, prisoners by citizenship in Switzerland stood at 6,722. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prisoners by citizenship in Switzerland peaked at 6,722 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5,303, in 2008.

Switzerland ranks 22nd of 48 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.

Prisoners by citizenship in Switzerland, year by year

Annual values for Prisoners by citizenship in Switzerland, 2008 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2008 5,303 —
2009 5,605 +5.7%
2010 5,765 +2.9%
2011 5,626 -2.4%
2012 6,102 +8.5%
2013 6,652 +9.0%
2014 6,519 -2.0%
2015 6,498 -0.3%
2016 6,507 +0.1%
2017 6,564 +0.9%
2018 6,602 +0.6%
2019 6,568 -0.5%
2020 6,183 -5.9%
2021 6,113 -1.1%
2022 6,252 +2.3%
2023 6,629 +6.0%
2024 6,722 +1.4%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

  • Switzerland's 6,722 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5,440, 1.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
  • Switzerland's 6,722 is above the median for high income countries, which is 6,722, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5,454 5,303 5,605 2
2010s 6,340 5,626 6,652 10
2020s 6,380 6,113 6,722 5

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 19 Austria 9,657 compare
  2. 20 Slovakia 8,169 compare
  3. 20 Slovakia 8,169 compare
  4. 23 Bulgaria 5,440 compare
  5. 24 Ireland 5,121 compare
  6. 25 Croatia 4,965 compare
  7. 25 Croatia 4,965 compare

See the full ranking of 51 places →

More reference data data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is prisoners by citizenship in Switzerland?
Prisoners by citizenship in Switzerland was 6,722 in 2024, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest prisoners by citizenship recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 6,722 in 2024.
What is the lowest prisoners by citizenship recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 5,303 in 2008.
How does Switzerland rank for prisoners by citizenship?
Switzerland ranks 22nd out of 48 countries with data for 2024.
Is prisoners by citizenship rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Prisoners by citizenship. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prisoners by citizenship in Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 14 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/prisoners-by-citizenship/switzerland/

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About this data

Indicator
Prisoners by citizenship
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
51 places, 808 data points, 2008–2024
Last refreshed