Incarceration rate

Incarceration rate per 100,000 adults and per 10,000 youth.

Incarceration rates are based on total actual-in counts, as well as population estimates of adults (aged 18 years and older) and youth provided by Demography Division of Statistics Canada.

The total actual-in count represents persons held in custody under sentence, remand or who are otherwise legally required to be there and who are present at the time the count is taken.

• Corrections Key Indicator Report for Adults and Youth (CKIR)
  • Table 35-10-0003-01 – Average counts of young persons in provincial and territorial correctional services
  • Table 35-10-0154-01 – Average counts of adults in provincial and territorial correctional programs
  • Table 35-10-0155-01 – Average counts of offenders in federal programs, Canada and regions
  • Table 35-10-0175-01 – Monthly average counts of adults in federal and provincial/territorial custody during the COVID-19 pandemic

The following data sources also include adult or youth admissions to correctional services, though the data are the presented as the number of admissions and not as incarceration rates:

• Adult Correctional Services (ACS)
  • Table 35-10-0014-01 – Adult admissions to correctional services
  • Table 35-10-0015-01 – Adult custody admissions to correctional services by sex
  • Table 35-10-0016-01 – Adult custody admissions to correctional services by Indigenous identity
  • Table 35-10-0017-01 – Adult custody admissions to correctional services by age group
  • Table 35-10-0018-01 – Adult sentenced custody admissions to correctional services by sex and sentence length ordered
  • Table 35-10-0022-01 – Adult admissions to federal correctional services
• Youth Custody and Community Services Survey (YCCS)
  • Table 35-10-0005-01 – Youth admissions to correctional services
  • Table 35-10-0006-01 – Youth admissions to correctional services, by age and sex
  • Table 35-10-0006-02 – Youth admissions to correctional services, by sex and age
  • Table 35-10-0007-01 – Youth admissions to correctional services, by Indigenous identity and sex
  • Table 35-10-0008-01 – Youth admissions to secure and open custody, by sentence length ordered and sex
• Canadian Correctional Services Survey (CCSS)
  • Table 35-10-0203-01 – Admissions to adult corrections by visible minority group and sex
  • Table 35-10-0204-01 – Admissions to youth corrections, by visible minority group and sex

• Correctional services statistics: Interactive dashboard (Data Visualization Products)

• Over-representation of Indigenous persons in adult provincial custody, 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 (Juristat, July 12, 2023)
• 2020 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview (Public Safety Canada, March 22, 2022)
• Adult and youth correctional statistics in Canada, 2018/2019 (Juristat, December 21, 2020)
• Adult and youth correctional statistics in Canada, 2017/2018 (Juristat, May 9, 2019)
• Adult and youth correctional statistics in Canada, 2016/2017 (Juristat, June 19, 2018)