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The Graphic Truth: How does El Salvador's prison rate stack up?

March 01, 2023

Gabrielle Debinski

and

Luisa Vieira

A list of the ten countries with the highest prison incarceration rates per 100,000 people.

Luisa Vieira

El Salvador made headlines in recent days after President Nayib Bukele released photos of gang members being corralled into the country’s new mega-prison – a sprawling complex that will eventually hold 40,000 inmates. It’s the latest development in Bukele’s massive – and very popular – crackdown on gangs, in which Salvadoran authorities have locked up almost 2% of the adult population. (Never mind that US officials have recently accused Bukele of colluding with the very gangs he says he’s trying to stamp out!) El Salvador now has the highest prison rate per 100,000 people in the world – but how does that compare globally? Here we take a look at the countries with the highest official prison rates.

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Jordan arrests 16 accused terrorists

People gather after Friday prayers during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Amman, Jordan, on April 4, 2025.

REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak

Jordanian authorities announced on Wednesday the arrest of 16 people accused of planning terrorist attacks inside Jordan. The country’s security services say the suspects had been under surveillance since 2021, and half a dozen of them were reportedly members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organization.

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The Graphic Truth: How does El Salvador's prison rate stack up?

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The Graphic Truth: How does El Salvador's prison rate stack up?

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A federal judge set up a showdown with the Trump administration on Wednesday with a ruling that threatens to find the government in contempt if it fails to comply with a judicial order to provide due process to Venezuelans deported to a prison in El Salvador.

California governor Gavin Newsom kicked off a campaign to promote Canadian tourism in his state, pitching its sunny beaches, lush vineyards, and world-class restaurants.

The Liberals, long the enemies of Quebec's sovereigntists, can only say, “Merci beaucoup, Donald."

Donald Trump’s administration announced that it is opening investigations into pharmaceutical and semiconductor supply chains, which will likely result in tariffs that will hurt suppliers in Europe, India, and Canada.

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

2.75: Canada’s central bank held its key interest rate steady at 2.75% this week, ending a streak of seven consecutive cuts.

Hard as it is to imagine amid the harrowing US-China trade war these days, there was a time when the two countries hardly did any business with each other.

As the Democrats start plotting their fight back into power in the 2026 midterms, one issue has come up again and again.

China’s economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, expanding at an annual rate of 5.4% — 0.3 percentage points above forecasts — driven by strong consumer spending and industrial output.