"Prison population rates vary considerably between different regions of the world, and between different parts of the same continent. For example:

"• in Africa the median rate for western African countries is 53 whereas for southern African countries it is 244;

"• in the Americas the median rate for south American countries is 233 whereas for central American countries it is 316;

"• in Asia the median rate for countries in southern Asia (mainly the Indian subcontinent) is 88 whereas for central Asian countries it is 160.5;

"• in Europe the median rate for western European countries is 81 whereas for the countries spanning Europe and Asia (e.g. the Russian Federation and Turkey) it is 268;

"• in Oceania the median rate is 182.5."