Ministry of Justice statistics
Prisons
How many people are in prison, how many the estate can hold, who they are and what happens after release, from the Ministry of Justice's weekly, monthly and annual tables.
Population and capacity
- Prison populationWeek beginning 24 August 2026 · up 0.1%86,843people
- Prison useable operational capacityWeek beginning 24 August 2026 · up 0.0%88,937places
- Prison population on remandJune 2026 · down 13.1%15,386people
- Sentenced prison populationJune 2026 · up 1.1%70,003people
- Foreign national prison populationJune 2026 · down 5.9%10,134people
After release
Longer history
People often confuse this with
Foreign-born ≠ Foreign nationalForeign-born means born outside the UK, whatever passport a person holds now; many are British citizens. Foreign national means not a British citizen, and includes people born in the UK. The census measures country of birth; prison and immigration statistics measure nationality.