Australia’s prison population has hit an eight-year high as deaths from unnatural causes inside jails rise to their worst level in five years.
New data from the Productivity Commission shows the national average daily prison population rose 5.9% in 2024–25 to 45,526 inmates.
Real net operating expenditure on prisons reached $5.43bn, up 4.3% on the previous year and nearly 50% higher than a decade ago.
Across Australia, 22 people died in police custody, including six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, a decline from the 18-year high recorded in 2022–23.
However, deaths in prisons from “unnatural causes” climbed to 26, the highest figure in five years.
Those deaths included suicide, drug overdose, accidental injury and homicide.
Ten of the 26 people who died were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
