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Brookings Data Now: U.S. Leads World in Incarceration Rate

In this edition of Brookings Data Now: U.S. leads world in incarceration rate; Democrats more religiously unaffiliated than Republicans; U.S. spending in Yemen; Harvard students have rich parents.

710

Per 100,000 residents, the U.S. incarceration rate is the highest in the world

The U.S. incarceration rate is more than six times that of the typical OECD country, and more than twice that of 90 percent of the world’s countries.

17%

Percentage of Democrats who are religiously unaffiliated

Only 6 percent of Republicans are religiously unaffiliated, while 56 percent are religious conservatives. Of Democrats, 13 percent are religious conservatives.

$390 million

Amount spent by U.S. in Yemen since 2012

Since Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi became president of Yemen in 2012, the U.S. has spent $250 million on humanitarian efforts, $100 million on economic development, and $40 million to support political transition in Yemen.

$400,000

Average annual income of a Harvard undergraduate’s parents

Mingwei Ma contributed to this post.