Pakistan Prison Data Report 2026
Date.08 Oct, 2026
For many years, Pakistan’s prison population remained relatively stable. Between 2009 and 2018, it generally ranged between 74,000 and 84,000 prisoners, increasing overall by only around 1%. Since 2019, that pattern has changed sharply. By 2026, Pakistan’s prisons held 110,513 people — an increase of 50.1% since 2019.
This growth reflects how the criminal justice system uses imprisonment: who is arrested, who receives bail, how long cases take to conclude, which offences are criminalised, and whether meaningful alternatives to imprisonment are available.
This second edition of the Prison Data Report brings together the most recent available prison data from across Pakistan to examine these trends and the factors driving them. It looks at national and provincial differences, identifies the people most affected by the growth in imprisonment, and considers where there is evidence that different approaches can produce different outcomes.
The report also looks beyond the numbers. It considers the laws, policies and criminal justice practices that shape who enters prison and how long they remain there, while identifying emerging reforms and opportunities to reduce unnecessary imprisonment and improve conditions of detention.
The aim is to use evidence to understand where Pakistan’s prison system is heading, what is driving that trajectory, and what can be done to change it.
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