Circumcisions have been happening for thousands of years throughout various cultures and we took a look at top 10 countries with highest circumcision rate in the world.
The medical procedure is performed on male children, and in the past, it was done as a religious act, as two major Abrahamic religions decree that all male children born to the faith must be circumcised. Therefore all the Muslim men and Jewish men who were born to the religion are circumcised. However, in modern times many health benefits have been attributed to circumcision, and thus many male children are circumcised without any religious or social obligations. Basically, the countries with highest Muslim population will inherently have a high percentage of the male population circumcised due to religious beliefs. On the opposite side of the spectrum, countries that don’t circumcise include Botswana, Burundi, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. According to our sources, which we will talk about in a minute, these countries have less than 20% of the male population circumcised. However, if you looking for the answer to what percentage of the world is circumcised? Then there is no definite answer to that question as of yet. As the surveys that have been done on the topic, do not provide an accurate answer. We can speculate and say that the more Muslim and Jewish populations increase, the more the rate of circumcised males will also increase. If you are interested, you should take a look at the countries where Muslim population will increase the most by 2050.
Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock.com
For contrast, let’s take a look at China and India, where about 40% of the entire world’s population lives. Circumcision in China is done by less than 1% of its male population and in India, the rate is less than 20%. It is true that the Muslim or Jewish populations are not a majority in these two countries, but take a look at South Korea, where Muslims and Jews are not a majority either but according to our sources, the South Korea circumcision rate is about 60-80 percent there. The prevalence of circumcision means the percentage of males in a given population who have been circumcised, and in this article, we will dive deeper into that topic. Unfortunately, we were unable to acquire information like circumcision rates by state for the U.S. But we do know that in the entire U.S., the rate is between 50-70 percent.
Let’s talk about our sources. We basically found two studies regarding Countries with Highest Circumcision Rate in the World, one done by the WHO (World Health Organization) and the other done by Williams, B. G. and published by PLOS. Although both studies were done to determine the impact of male circumcision on HIV, we managed to find the data we were looking for. You can find the circumcision world map if you follow the WHO’s research on the matter, which will give you a graphical representation of circumcision rates around the world.
When it comes to ranking, as usual, the higher the percentage of circumcised males in a country, the higher it is placed on the list. This list will basically provide you with a snapshot of circumcision rates around the world, and the countries where the rate of circumcision is at its peak. Before we start the list, we would like to mention that you will not be seeing a lot of Muslim countries on the list, because the exact percentages of circumcised men are not known and only described as a percentage rate, which leaves room for ambiguity. Thus we avoided such statistics to be more precise with our list.
Let’s get our list of top 10 countries with highest circumcision rate in the world started.
10. Niger
Circumcision Rate: 92%
Islam is the most practiced religion in Niger and an estimated 94% of the total population practice it. As you can see from the circumcision rate, about 92% of the entire male population of the country has had this procedure done. Thus Niger is going to be the country we open our list with. The second major religion practiced in Niger is Christianity. However, Christianity, despite being an Abrahamic religion does not require male children to be circumcised.
Pixabay / Public Domain
9. Philippines
Circumcision Rate: 92.5%
Now the major religion in the Philippines is not Islam nor Judaism, but rather Christianity. However, despite the majority of the population of the Philippines being Christians, the circumcision rate is extremely high due to a social rite called “Tuli”. Tuli is considered a rite of passage for boys, and those who do not have this ritual performed on them are subject to social ridicule from peers. That’s why Philippines is among countries with highest circumcision rate in the world despite being the only Christian nation in Southeast Asia.
Pixabay / Public Domain
8. Togo
Circumcision Rate: 93%
According to the sources we cited earlier, Togo has about 93% of the male population circumcised. Which is really a massive percentage considering the primary religion in Togo is of indigenous origin. Islam as a religion is a minority in Togo, and Judaism is virtually nonexistent. But, it has been established that circumcision reduces the risk of contracting HIV, which is spreading throughout Africa as a whole.
Pixabay / Public Domain
7. Cameroon
Circumcision Rate: 93%
Cameroon is a Central African country where Christianity is a major religion. However the rate of circumcised men in Cameroon is well above 90%, and according to our sources, it is roughly at 93%. It’s the same as Togo, where despite having no religious obligations, people of Cameroon opted for circumcision in order to minimize the risk of contracting HIV, and it is working out in their favor as well.
Pixabay / Public Domain
6. Somalia
Circumcision Rate: 93%
Somalia has a rate of circumcision of over 90% as well, and it is estimated to be around 93%. The primary religion of Somalia is Islam. Basically, that explains a lot of the circumcisions performed on male children of Somalia. Only a minuscule portion of the population actually practices other regions, which includes Christianity and some traditional faith systems. Somalia is an African country situated in the horn of Africa.
Pixabay / Public Domain
5. Djibouti
Circumcision Rate: 94%
We are halfway through the list of top 10 countries with highest circumcision rate in the world and at number five we have Djibouti. It is a neighboring country of Somalia, and like Somalia the major religion of Djibouti is Islam. An estimated nine-tenth of the population are followers of this faith, and naturally like every Muslim male Child, the majority of Djibouti male children go through the circumcision procedure.
Pixabay / Public Domain
4. Mali
Circumcision Rate: 95%
Mali is a landlocked country in central Africa, with a population of over 18 million. It is estimated that about 98% of the entire population practices Islam. It is only natural that the rate of circumcision is so high in Mali, given the people’s affinity to Islam.
Pixabay / Public Domain
3. Ghana
Circumcision Rate: 95%
At number 3 in our list of the countries with highest circumcision rate in the world we have Ghana that is predominantly a Christian country, where more than 45% of the population practices Christianity, about 25% of the population practices Islam, 21% are traditionalists, and the rest 9% adhere to other faiths. However, both reports that we used in our research indicate that the circumcision rate in Ghana is over 90% and is roughly around 95%.
Pixabay / Public Domain
2.Eritrea
Circumcision Rate: 95%
Eritrea is a Northeastern African country with a population of almost 4.5 million people. There are two Major religions in Eritrea, Islam, and Christianity, the population is almost equally divided into these two religious groups. In our research, we found that the rate of circumcision in Eritrea has been estimated to be upwards of the 95 percentile or more in the male population. This is why Eritrea has been placed at the second spot in our list.
Pixabay / Public Domain
1. Israel
Circumcision Rate: 95% to 98%
Every Jewish male has been circumcised ever since the founding of Judaism, and it is still the case today. The major religion of Israel is Judaism, and as customs dictate, every Jewish male child must undergo circumcision. About 75% of the total population is Jewish and around 20% of the population practices Islam, which is why Israel has made it in the very top position of our list with an estimated circumcision rate of up to 98%.
Pixabay / Public Domain
This wraps it up for our list of top 10 countries with highest circumcision rate in the world
