Capacity of prisons and detention facilities — all countries

Capacity of prisons and detention facilities — Belgium

Capacity of prisons and detention facilities in Belgium in 2025 — 122 people. Ranked 28 in the world out of 53. Since 2025, the indicator has risen by 0%.

2025 122 people
World rank 28of 53
Period maximum 122 people2025
Period minimum 122 people2025

Trend over time

2025–2025 · people

Change over the period: +0 (+0%)
Capacity of prisons and detention facilities — Belgium, by year Belgium All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 122

Western Europe, 2025

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

About the indicator

The official design capacity of correctional institutions and pretrial detention facilities — how many people they are intended for under the country's own norms. UNODC data, collected from national prison services together with the data on the number of prisoners. The indicator exists for the sake of one comparison: the ratio of the actual prison population to capacity is the prison occupancy rate, by which the state of a penitentiary system is judged — and by which countries range from half full to three times over capacity.

Important: Capacity cannot be compared directly across countries: their norms of floor space per person differ. The indicator is meaningful next to the number of prisoners.

Source: UNODC Crime Statistics, license UN data: free to use with attribution.