France, Turkey have most overcrowded prisons in Europe: report

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Paris: According to recent reports showing worsening imprisonment conditions throughout the region, France and Turkey are among the European nations with the most crowded jail systems.

In France, prison occupancy has risen to approximately 135% of official capacity, with some facilities reaching 150% to 200%. Officials call this ‘chronic overcrowding.’ Pretrial detention prisons are under extreme stress due to occupancy rates that are far higher than the national average. These figures were produced by the University of Lausanne for the 46-member Strasbourg-based organisation in early 2025.
With a significant spike in the number of people imprisoned in the past few years, Turkey is also dealing with a serious prison capacity shortage. According to reports, the nation's prison population has risen to over 400,000 inmates due to ongoing arrests and growing detention facilities that are still unable to meet demand.

With some nations exceeding their official jail capacity and raising worries over living conditions, safety, and rehabilitation issues, overcrowding has grown in concern throughout Europe.

As authorities struggle with an increasing number of inmates and a shortage of space, France and Turkey are now commonly mentioned as having the most congested prison systems in the region.