Prisoners: key points

• Scotland continues to have one of the highest imprisonment rates in Western Europe. In August 2025, it had 149 prisoners per 100,000 population.  

• The average daily prison population in Scotland in 2023-24 was 7,860. A sustained increase from 2023 onwards led to a limited release of short-term prisoners in 2024 . The prison population on 12th September 2025 was 8,354.   

• The number of people in prison on remand remains high. In July 2025 those on remand represented 25% of the prison population.  

• The majority of the prison population identify as white (92%), single (77%), heterosexual (88%), males (96%). The average age of those in prison in 2023-24 was 37.8 years.  

• There is an increasing population of older people with complex social and health care needs. The proportion aged 55 years or over (11%) has more than doubled over the past 10 years.  

• Women continue to represent around 4% of the prison population. A reduction in the number of women being sentenced may be driving an increase in the proportion on remand (32% in 2023-24).  

• The numbers of young people (under 21 years) in prison continue to fall year-on-year, and represented roughly 2% of the total prison population in 2023-24.  

• 71% prisoners tested positive for illegal drugs on admission to prison in 2018/19, with 26% testing positive on liberation.  

• In 2024, 32% of prisoners reported being under the influence of drugs at the time of their offence, with 35% saying they had used illegal drugs at some point while in prison. 

• In 2024, 31% prisoners reported being drunk at the time of their offence, similar to the value reported in 2019 (28%).