News Desk
MALE’, Maldives — South Asia’s prisons are buckling under the weight of overcrowding, stalled justice, and stark disparities in punishment, according to 2024 data from Prison Insider’s comparison tool. From Sri Lanka’s teeming cells to India’s sprawling jail network, the region’s incarceration systems reveal a troubling tableau.
The Maldives, a tropical haven often synonymous with luxury, stands apart with the highest incarceration rate, estimated at 314 per 100,000 inhabitants, while India shoulders the heaviest total prison population, 573,220, with an incarceration rate of 41 per 100,000.
Overcrowding is a grim constant. Sri Lanka’s 60 facilities, managed by the Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms, operate at 215.6% capacity, cramming 29,800 inmates into spaces meant for far fewer.
Bangladesh, under its Ministry of Home Affairs, isn’t far behind at 197.9%, with 84,851 prisoners packed into 68 sites.
Nepal’s 74 jails hit 153.7%, Pakistan’s 116 reach 136.8%, and India’s 1,330 facilities hover at 131.4%.
The Maldives, prisons holding an estimated 1,700 inmates, exceeds capacity at 125%. Bhutan with a modest 1,119 prisoners, keeps its density under wraps.
The 2024 data from Prison Insider lists 11 total prison facilities in the Maldives under the Ministry of Home Affairs. However, specific breakdowns show that the Maldives Police Service directly manages certain pre-trial and custodial centers, while the Maldives Correctional Services oversees most prisons.
Named facilities include Maafushi Prison, Asseryi Prison, Malé Prison, Hulhumalé Detention Centre, Atholhuvehi, and Dhoonidhoo. Of these, the Maldives Police Service (MPS) operates the Dhoonidhoo Pretrial Detention Centre and the Malé Custodial Centre, as noted in U.S. State Department reports, while the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) manages four main prisons: Maafushi, Asseryi, Malé, and Hulhumalé Detention Centre. Malé Prison has recently closed.
The Maldives’ incarceration rate towers over the region. Bhutan clocks in at 145 per 100,000, Sri Lanka at 137, and Nepal at 90. Bangladesh (50), India (41), and Pakistan (38) trail, their lower rates overshadowed by sheer volume—India’s massive population skews its numbers, but the Maldives’ smaller base amplifies its punitive reach. “It’s a striking contrast,” a former diplomat noted, “paradise paired with prison.”
Justice, meanwhile, creeps along, leaving thousands in limbo. Bangladesh holds 75.6% of its inmates pretrial, a figure nearly matched by India’s 75.8%, where 434,302 await verdicts. Sri Lanka’s 19,765 pretrial detainees make up 66.3%, Nepal’s 14,606 account for 53%, and Pakistan’s estimated 70% reflect a similar snarl. The Maldives, at 14.3%, fares better, though Bhutan offers no clarity on its seven facilities.
South Asia Prison Data 2024
| Country | Authority in Charge | Prison Population | Incarceration Rate (per 100,000) | Prison Density | Number of Facilities | National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) | Women Incarcerated | Children Incarcerated | Awaiting Trial | Death Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms | 29,800 | 137 | 215.6% | 60 | Yes (since 2017) | 1,319 (4.4%) | 0.1% | 19,765 (66.3%) | No abolition |
| Bangladesh | Ministry of Home Affairs | 84,851 | 50 | 197.9% | 68 | No | 3.9% | 0.7% | 75.6% | No abolition |
| Bhutan | Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs | 1,119 | 145 | Data not disclosed | 7 | No | 4.3% | 3.4% | Data not disclosed | Yes (since 2004) |
| Maldives | Ministry of Home Affairs | 1,700 (estimate) | 314 (estimated) | 125% (estimated) | 6 | Yes (since 2007) | 4.3% | 1.3% | 14.3% (estimated) | No abolition |
| India | Ministry of the Interior | 573,220 | 41 | 131.4% | 1,330 | No | 23,772 (4.1%) | 0% | 434,302 (75.8%) | No abolition |
| Nepal | Ministry of Home Affairs | 27,550 | 90 | 153.7% | 74 | No | 1,485 (5.4%) | 3.3% | 14,606 (53%) | Yes (since 1997) |
| Pakistan | Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights | 87,712 | 38 | 136.8% | 116 | No | 1.6% | 1.6% | 70% (estimated) | No abolition |
Data sourced from Prison Insider, 2024
Notes: Prison Population reflects 2024 totals, with estimates for Maldives. Incarceration Rate is per 100,000 inhabitants. Prison Density over 100% indicates overcrowding.
The death penalty divides the region. Bhutan shed it in 2004, Nepal in 1997, their respective ministries turning away from executions. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan cling to it, from Pakistan’s Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights to India’s Ministry of the Interior. No execution tallies surface here, but the policy’s shadow persists.
Women and children dot the rolls. India jails 23,772 women (4.1%), Nepal 1,485 (5.4%), and Sri Lanka 1,319 (4.4%), with Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Maldives near 4% and Pakistan at 1.6%. Children spike in Bhutan (3.4%) and Nepal (3.3%), dip to 0.1% in Sri Lanka, and range from 0.7% to 1.6% elsewhere. India reports zero, a rare reprieve.
Oversight flickers unevenly. Sri Lanka (since 2017) and the Maldives (since 2007) boast National Preventive Mechanisms to monitor conditions. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan lack such bodies, leaving their systems unchecked.
The data paints a region at a crossroads. Overcrowding strains infrastructure, pre-trial detentions clog courts, and the Maldives’ high incarceration rate raises questions about enforcement in paradise. For now, South Asia’s prisons remain a mirror to its struggles—overburdened, unequal, and, in many corners, unrelenting.
