Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The United States no longer has the highest rate of incarceration in the world.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 24, 2025
1. The United States no longer has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Marker
The Big Graph's tall red bar charts the incarceration rate of every nation in the world as of January 2020. As of July 2023, El Salvador currently incarcerates are more citizens per capita than any other nation worldwide. Incarceration rates have also surged in Cuba, Rwanda, and Turkmenistan.1
In March 2022, in response to nationwide gang violence, the president of El Salvador utilized mass arrests and suspended some civil liberties, including the right to due process, thereby lengthening the amount of time some individuals spend in custody without begin charged with a crime.2
These new government policies have resulted in an 80% increase in the Salvadoran incarceration rate over just three years.3 however, the effectiveness of these new measures in addressing the root cause of crime remains a subject of worldwide debate.
Despite this recent change in rank, the United States has not ended its era of mass incarceration. In fact, the number of Americans in prison has increased in recent years after nearly a decade of decline.4
Top 5 International Incarceration Rates, 20235 1,086 El Salvador (World's Highest)
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794 Cuba
621 Rwanda
576 Turkmenistan
531 United States
Sources and Notes:
1 World Prison Brief; Highest to Lowest - Prison Population Rate. Accessed September 26, 2023.
2 International Crisis Group; A remedy for El Salvador's prison ever. Published October 5, 2022.
3 World Prison Brief; El Salvador. Accessed September 26, 2023.
4 Bureau of Justice Statistics; Prisoners in 2022. Published November 2023.
5 Number of people in prison per 100,000 citizens.
Erected by Eastern State Penitentiary.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. A significant historical month for this entry is January 2020.
Location. 39° 58.147′ N, 75° 10.327′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Eastern State Penitentiary. It can be reached from Fairmount Avenue west of North 21st Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2027 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia PA 19130, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, New Netherland, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Big Graph (here, next to this marker); Incinerator
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 24, 2025
2. The United States no longer has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. 2020 Rate of Incarceration (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 176 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 26, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
