Answer:
2.3 million
Step-by-step explanation:
As of 2021, the United States has the largest penal population in the world with over 2.3 million incarcerated adults. This is a significant increase from the 1970s, when the country had only around 500,000 inmates. The rise in incarceration rates has been attributed to a number of factors, including harsher sentencing laws, the war on drugs, and changes in the criminal justice system. Despite having only 5% of the world's population, the United States accounts for around 25% of the world's prisoners.