The increase in the prison population in 2024-25 was primarily driven by an increase in the sentenced population (+5.8 per cent since 2023-24), figures from the chief statistician show.

The statistics only cover the period to 31 March 2025 and do not refer to prison population changes occurring after that date.

The largest increase in the average daily sentenced population in 2024-25 was those serving sentences for index offences in group two: sexual crimes (+14 per cent to 1,614).

Together with the population serving sentences for index offences in group one: non-sexual crimes of violence (+2 per cent to 2,848 in 2024-25), these two groups account for a growing proportion of the overall average daily sentenced population (over 70 per cent in 2024-25, compared to 68 per cent in 2023-24).

While there were increases in all determinate index sentence groups in 2024-25, the share of the average daily sentenced population serving shorter index sentences remained below pre-pandemic levels in 2024-25. In 2019-20, 53 per cent of the sentenced population had index sentences of four years or less. In 2024-25, this proportion remained at 44 per cent.

As in previous reporting years, the overall average daily remand population remained stable between 2023-24 and 2024-25, at 1,797 (+1). The increase in the average daily sentenced population over the same period has meant that the proportion of the average daily prison population held on remand has fallen slightly in 2024-25 (from 23 per cent to 22 per cent). It should be noted that the method of data construction for the accredited official statistics leads to an undercount of the remand population when compared to other sources. Accredited official statistics are intended to provide an overview of high level trends only.  

The number of individuals who spent any time in prison increased by three per cent in 2024-25 from 15,349 in 2023-24 to 15,792. This remains nine per cent below pre-pandemic levels (17,312 individuals in 2019-20).

The average age of individuals experiencing imprisonment continued to rise in 2024-25, reaching 38.2 years (compared to 33.4 years in 2013-14). Since 2009-10 the proportion of individuals aged 50 years or more experiencing imprisonment has more than doubled - from 6.3 per cent to 15.9 per cent in 2024-25.

While the average daily prison population increased in 2024-25, the number of arrivals to custody was broadly stable compared with the previous reporting year. There were 11,499 arrivals to custody in 2024-25 (-1 per cent from 11,648 in 2023-24). The number of arrivals remains considerably lower than pre-pandemic levels, down 20 per cent from 2019-20 when it was 14,341.

There was a 2.2 per cent increase in departures from custody to 11,357 in 2024-25. The number of departures from custody remains below pre-pandemic levels in 2024-25 (14,741 in 2019-20). 

Time spent on remand before departure from prison or transition to the sentenced population fell in 2024-25 but remains higher than pre-pandemic. Median time on remand before departure remained at around 22 days in 2024-25, a consistent pattern since 2009-10. The longest periods spent on remand had been increasing over time, with a sharp increase during 2020-21. Time on remand peaked in 2022-23, with the longest 10 per cent of stays before departure from remand taking 146 days or more. By 2024-25, the longest 10 per cent of stays took 87 days or more.

The median time on remand before transition to the sentenced population peaked in in 2020-21 and 2021-22 at 57 days. In 2024-25, this fell to 43 days. The longest periods to transition to the sentenced population had been increasing over time. In 2019-20, 90 per cent of transitions occurred within 145 days. Time to transition peaked in 2022-23 with 90 per cent of transitions occurring within 289 days. By 2024-25 this had fallen to 275 days.