A new United Nations report highlights that over a third (34%) of Africa's prison population is held without trial, with stark regional disparities.

The study, titled 'Prison Matters 2026', found that Sub-Saharan Africa has one of the highest global rates of unsentenced detainees, while Southern Asia records the worst figures at 62%.Globally, pre-trial detention numbers rose from 3.3 million in 2014 to 3.6 million in 2024, though the overall proportion remains stable.

The report warns that excessive reliance on pre-trial detention undermines the presumption of innocence and often leads to worse prison conditions for detainees compared to convicted prisoners.Kenya is cited as a model, with community-based legal interventions reducing unsentenced detention rates.Women face a 10-percentage-point gap in pre-trial detention rates compared to men, highlighting gender disparities.The findings draw on data from the UN Survey of Crime Trends and other global sources.