Azerbaijan is one of two countries leading among Council of Europe member states in terms of prisoner numbers heading into 2025.
According to a report published on May 19 by the Council of Europe jointly with the University of Lausanne, Azerbaijan has 271 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants. By this indicator, Azerbaijan trails only its neighbor Turkey (458 prisoners).
Turning to the South Caucasus region, Georgia ranks 4th with 232 prisoners using the same methodology. Armenia is placed 36th on the list with 126 prisoners, which is considered a low figure.
Turkey also leads in prison density. In that country, there are 131 prisoners per 100 places in penal institutions, compared to 98 in Azerbaijan and 90 in Georgia.
Regarding average detention length, Azerbaijan ranks 2nd after Ukraine. The average detention period is 39 months in Ukraine, 36 months in Azerbaijan, and 25 months in Armenia. Azerbaijan’s average detention period is 4 times higher than in European countries.
The report notes that monitoring conducted in 13 countries also recorded an increase in prisoner numbers compared to previous years.
According to the statistics, Turkey leads with 29 percent. While Armenia recorded a 5.8 percent increase in this indicator, Georgia saw an 11 percent decrease.
According to age statistics among prisoners, approximately 11–13 percent of prisoners in Azerbaijan and Turkey are convicts aged over 51. In Georgia, this figure stands at 20–22 percent.
The report notes that from January 2024 to January 2025, an increase in the number of female prisoners was also recorded in Council of Europe member states.
Women account for 3.1 percent of total prisoners in Azerbaijan, 2.6 percent in Armenia, approximately 3–4 percent in Georgia, and 4–5 percent in Turkey.
In Azerbaijani prisons, 16.8 percent of prisoners are held in pre-trial detention facilities. Foreign nationals make up 2.2 percent of the total prison population.