According to data published by Eurostat, Luxembourg had a prison population of 157.5 people per 100,000 inhabitants in 2008. This number has reduced steadily since then, reaching a low of 115.8 in 2017 - a decrease of 26.5%.
Compared to the rest of the EU, the 2017 number places Luxembourg right in the middle of the pack — the EU-wide average imprisonment rate is 116 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants. The highest rate (for 2017) was found in Lithuania (232), followed by Czechia (209), and Estonia (206).The lowest rate, meanwhile, could be found in Finland (56), followed by Sweden (57), and Denmark (59).
Quiz: Are you breaking the law? Test your Luxembourg legal knowledge!As for our neighbouring countries, their rates were all lower than those of Luxembourg: France's number stood at 103, Germany at 80, and Belgium 98 (2015 data - the latest available). Like Luxembourg, Germany saw a decrease between 2008 and 2017, in their case of 11%. Belgium's data is incomplete, but increased by 6.4% between 2008 and 2015. France also saw an increase of 6.1% between 2008 and 2017.
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Eurostat: Lowest rate of prisoners in the EU since 2000
