A total of 163 transgender inmates being held in English and Welsh prisons

One in every 500 inmates in an English or Welsh jail is recorded as transgender

In 2018, there were 139 inmates who said they were transgender in prison

The report said 130 identified as female, 20 as male and 13 did not respond

More than half of jails in England and Wales hold transgender prisoners, according to figures.

Some 62 of the 121 public and private prisons said they have one or more transgender inmates, a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) report said.

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The information was gathered in April and May.

One in every 500 inmates in prison in England and Wales identify as transgender, according to a new survey completed by the Ministry of Justice

According to the newly-released figures, there are 163 inmates in England and Wales who reported that they were transgender, an increase from 138 in 2018

The MoJ estimates there are two transgender prisoners reported per 1,000 inmates in custody.

There were 163 transgender prisoners recorded this year, up from 139 in 2018.

Most reported their legal gender as male (129) with 32 as female with two not stated.

When asked about the gender with which the prisoner identified, 130 identified as female, 20 as male and 13 did not provide a response, according to the report.

It said: 'Prisoners were asked to specify another identity and 88 gave a response - 15 identified as gender-fluid, eight as transvestite, seven as intersex, six as non-binary and the remaining 51 preferred not to say.'

There were 34 transgender prisoners in women's prisons: 30 reported their legal gender as female and four as male. Of these, 11 identified as female, 20 as male and three did not respond.

There were 129 transgender prisoners in men's prisons: two reported their legal gender as female and 125 as male, with two not providing a response. Of these, 119 identified as female and 10 did not provide a response.

The MoJ report defines transgender inmates as 'individuals known within prison to be currently living in, or are presenting in, a gender different to their sex assigned at birth' and the matter is being considered by a transgender case board.

Prisoners who have already transitioned and have a full Gender Recognition Certificate are not included in these statistics.

The MoJ report said: 'The figures give an estimate of the number of transgender prisoners and are likely to underestimate the true number.

'There might be some transgender prisoners who have not declared that they are transgender or had a local transgender case board, and some who have a Gender Recognition Certificate.'

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The research records offender data on protected characteristics listed under the Equality Act 2010 such as sexual orientation, gender, age, disability and race.