How many people are in prison, and is there room?
86,779 people were in prison in England and Wales on 5 October 2026, against 89,012 places the prison service can use.
England and Wales, 5 October 2026. Highest this year: 87,751 (16 March 2026).
Useable operational capacity, 5 October 2026.
This year, week by week
What’s this?
The number of people held in prisons in England and Wales at the start of each week, from the weekly briefing.
What it cannot tell you: It counts people in prison, not people sentenced: it also depends on how long sentences are and how many are held on remand. Capacity is a measure of the space the prison service can run, not of the buildings.
What’s this?
The number of prison places the service can use at the start of each week without breaking its own safety rules.
What it cannot tell you: Capacity changes as prisons open, close or are refurbished, and some places are held for emergencies.
Latest weeks
| Period | Prison population, England and Wales | Prison space available (useable operational capacity) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 October 2026 | 86,779 | 89,012 |
| 28 September 2026 | 87,499 | 89,055 |
| 21 September 2026 | 87,245 | 89,020 |
| 14 September 2026 | 87,111 | 88,986 |
| 7 September 2026 | 86,868 | 88,943 |
| 24 August 2026 | 86,843 | 88,937 |
| 17 August 2026 | 86,722 | 88,921 |
| 10 August 2026 | 86,536 | 88,862 |
| 3 August 2026 | 86,495 | 88,890 |
| 27 July 2026 | 86,267 | 88,895 |
Questions people ask
How many people are in prison in England and Wales?
86,779 on 5 October 2026 (Ministry of Justice weekly figures). Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate prison systems.
What is useable operational capacity?
The number of places the prison service can use without breaching its own safety standards, which is below the number of beds in the buildings. It was 89,012 on 5 October 2026.
What does “prison population, england and wales” measure?
The number of people held in prisons in England and Wales at the start of each week, from the weekly briefing. It was 86,779 (people in prison) in 5 October 2026, – on –. The highest we have is 87,751 (16 March 2026) and the lowest 85,704 (27 April 2026).
What does “prison space available (useable operational capacity)” measure?
The number of prison places the service can use at the start of each week without breaking its own safety rules. It was 89,012 (places) in 5 October 2026, – on –. The highest we have is 89,922 (16 March 2026) and the lowest 88,862 (10 August 2026).
Sources: Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service, weekly population bulletin. Updated every night. Each chart has a CSV and a Share button.
See also: Crime overall · Public spending by area