Health organizations are currently divided on whether male circumcision is beneficial or not.

Some research suggests it can lower the rates of urinary tract infections and improve overall penile health, but the procedure can also lead to infection and can be seen as unnecessary.

And as Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao details below, culturally as well, regions of the world are starkly divided on the practice and we visualize this by mapping out the rates by country.

Data for this map is sourced from the “Estimation of Country-Specific and Global Prevalence of Male Circumcision”, a paper published on BioMedCentral in 2016. It is the latest complete data available on this topic.

A Regional Breakdown of Circumcision Rates

Male circumcision is more common in countries where Islam and Judaism emphasize it as a religious practice.

Consequently, in North Africa and the Middle East, 99% of men aged 15 and older are circumcised.

Country
ISO Code
Male Circumcision
Rate (Men Aged 15+)
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
AFG
99.8%
🇦🇱 Albania
ALB
47.7%
🇩🇿 Algeria
DZA
97.9%
🇦🇴 Angola
AGO
57.5%
🇦🇷 Argentina
ARG
2.9%
🇦🇲 Armenia
ARM
0.1%
🇦🇺 Australia
AUS
58.0%
🇦🇹 Austria
AUT
5.8%
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
AZE
98.5%
🇧🇭 Bahrain
BHR
81.2%
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
BGD
93.2%
🇧🇾 Belarus
BLR
0.3%
🇧🇪 Belgium
BEL
22.6%
🇧🇿 Belize
BLZ
0.1%
🇧🇯 Benin
BEN
92.9%
🇧🇹 Bhutan
BTN
1.0%
🇧🇴 Bolivia
BOL
0.1%
🇧🇦 Bosnia &
Herzegovina
BIH
41.6%
🇧🇼 Botswana
BWA
15.1%
🇧🇷 Brazil
BRA
1.3%
🇧🇳 Brunei
BRN
51.9%
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
BGR
13.4%
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
BFA
88.3%
🇧🇮 Burundi
BDI
61.7%
🇰🇭 Cambodia
KHM
3.5%
🇨🇲 Cameroon
CMR
94.0%
🇨🇦 Canada
CAN
31.9%
🇨🇫 Central African
Republic
CAF
63.0%
🇹🇩 Chad
TCD
73.5%
🇨🇱 Chile
CHL
0.2%
🇨🇳 China
CHN
14.0%
🇨🇴 Colombia
COL
4.2%
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
CRI
0.1%
🇭🇷 Croatia
HRV
1.3%
🇨🇺 Cuba
CUB
0.1%
🇨🇾 Cyprus
CYP
22.7%
🇨🇿 Czechia
CZE
0.1%
🇨🇩 DRC
COD
97.2%
🇩🇰 Denmark
DNK
5.3%
🇩🇯 Djibouti
DJI
96.5%
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
DOM
13.7%
🇹🇱 East Timor
TLS
6.4%
🇪🇨 Ecuador
ECU
0.1%
🇪🇬 Egypt
EGY
94.7%
🇸🇻 El Salvador
SLV
0.1%
🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea
GNQ
87.0%
🇪🇷 Eritrea
ERI
97.2%
🇪🇪 Estonia
EST
0.3%
🇸🇿 eSwatini
SWZ
8.2%
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
ETH
92.2%
🇫🇰 Falkland Islands
FLK
0.1%
🇫🇯 Fiji
FJI
55.0%
🇫🇮 Finland
FIN
0.8%
🇫🇷 France
FRA
14.0%
🇬🇦 Gabon
GAB
99.2%
🇬🇲 Gambia
GMB
94.5%
🇬🇪 Georgia
GEO
10.6%
🇩🇪 Germany
DEU
6.7%
🇬🇭 Ghana
GHA
91.6%
🇬🇷 Greece
GRC
4.7%
🇬🇱 Greenland
GRL
0.1%
🇬🇹 Guatemala
GTM
0.1%
🇬🇳 Guinea
GIN
84.2%
🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau
GNB
93.3%
🇬🇾 Guyana
GUY
12.0%
🇭🇹 Haiti
HTI
6.2%
🇭🇳 Honduras
HND
0.1%
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
HKG
28.0%
🇭🇺 Hungary
HUN
0.8%
🇮🇸 Iceland
ISL
0.1%
🇮🇳 India
IND
13.5%
🇮🇩 Indonesia
IDN
92.5%
🇮🇷 Iran
IRN
99.7%
🇮🇶 Iraq
IRQ
98.9%
🇮🇪 Ireland
IRL
0.9%
🇮🇱 Israel
ISR
91.7%
🇮🇹 Italy
ITA
2.6%
🇨🇮 Ivory Coast
CIV
96.7%
🇯🇲 Jamaica
JAM
14.0%
🇯🇵 Japan
JPN
9.0%
🇯🇴 Jordan
JOR
98.8%
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
KAZ
56.4%
🇰🇪 Kenya
KEN
91.2%
🇽🇰 Kosovo
KOS
91.7%
🇰🇼 Kuwait
KWT
86.4%
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
KGZ
91.9%
🇱🇦 Laos
LAO
0.1%
🇱🇻 Latvia
LVA
0.4%
🇱🇧 Lebanon
LBN
59.7%
🇱🇸 Lesotho
LSO
52.0%
🇱🇷 Liberia
LBR
97.7%
🇱🇾 Libya
LBY
96.6%
🇱🇹 Lithuania
LTU
0.2%
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
LUX
2.4%
🇲🇬 Madagascar
MDG
94.7%
🇲🇼 Malawi
MWI
21.6%
🇲🇾 Malaysia
MYS
61.4%
🇲🇻 Maldives
MDV
98.4%
🇲🇱 Mali
MLI
86.0%
🇲🇹 Malta
MLT
0.3%
🇲🇷 Mauritania
MRT
99.2%
🇲🇺 Mauritius
MUS
16.6%
🇲🇽 Mexico
MEX
15.4%
🇲🇩 Moldova
MDA
0.5%
🇲🇳 Mongolia
MNG
4.4%
🇲🇪 Montenegro
MNE
18.5%
🇲🇦 Morocco
MAR
99.9%
🇲🇿 Mozambique
MOZ
47.4%
🇲🇲 Myanmar
MMR
3.5%
🇳🇦 Namibia
NAM
25.5%
🇳🇵 Nepal
NPL
4.2%
🇳🇱 Netherlands
NLD
5.7%
🇳🇨 New Caledonia
NCL
50.0%
🇳🇿 New Zealand
NZL
33.0%
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
NIC
0.1%
🇳🇪 Niger
NER
95.5%
🇳🇬 Nigeria
NGA
98.9%
🇰🇵 North Korea
PRK
0.1%
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
MKD
33.9%
🇳🇴 Norway
NOR
3.0%
🇴🇲 Oman
OMN
87.7%
🇵🇰 Pakistan
PAK
96.4%
🇵🇸 Palestine
PSX
99.9%
🇵🇦 Panama
PAN
0.9%
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
PNG
10.1%
🇵🇾 Paraguay
PRY
0.1%
🇵🇪 Peru
PER
3.7%
🇵🇭 Philippines
PHL
91.7%
🇵🇱 Poland
POL
0.1%
🇵🇹 Portugal
PRT
0.6%
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
PRI
0.1%
🇶🇦 Qatar
QAT
77.5%
🇷🇸 Serbia
SRB
3.7%
🇨🇬 Congo
COG
70.0%
🇷🇴 Romania
ROU
0.3%
🇷🇺 Russia
RUS
11.8%
🇷🇼 Rwanda
RWA
13.3%
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
SAU
97.1%
🇸🇳 Senegal
SEN
93.5%
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
SLE
96.1%
🇸🇬 Singapore
SGP
14.9%
🇸🇰 Slovakia
SVK
0.1%
🇸🇮 Slovenia
SVN
8.5%
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
SLB
95.0%
🇸🇴 Somalia
SOM
93.5%
🇿🇦 South Africa
ZAF
44.7%
🇰🇷 South Korea
KOR
77.0%
🇸🇸 South Sudan
SDS
23.6%
🇪🇸 Spain
ESP
6.6%
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
LKA
8.5%
🇸🇩 Sudan
SDN
39.4%
🇸🇷 Suriname
SUR
15.9%
🇸🇪 Sweden
SWE
5.1%
🇨🇭 Switzerland
CHE
5.9%
🇸🇾 Syria
SYR
92.8%
🇹🇼 Taiwan
TWN
8.3%
🇹🇯 Tajikistan
TJK
99.0%
🇹🇭 Thailand
THA
11.9%
🇧🇸 The Bahamas
BHS
0.2%
🇹🇬 Togo
TGO
95.2%
🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago
TTO
5.8%
🇹🇳 Tunisia
TUN
99.8%
🇹🇷 Turkey
TUR
98.6%
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan
TKM
93.4%
🇺🇬 Uganda
UGA
26.7%
🇺🇦 Ukraine
UKR
2.3%
🇦🇪 UAE
ARE
76.0%
🇬🇧 UK
GBR
20.7%
🇹🇿 Tanzania
TZA
72.0%
🇺🇸 U.S.
USA
80.5%
🇺🇾 Uruguay
URY
0.6%
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
UZB
96.5%
🇻🇺 Vanuatu
VUT
95.0%
🇻🇪 Venezuela
VEN
0.3%
🇻🇳 Vietnam
VNM
0.2%
🇪🇭 Western Sahara
SAH
99.6%
🇾🇪 Yemen
YEM
99.0%
🇿🇲 Zambia
ZMB
12.8%
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
ZWE
9.2%
🌎 World Average
N/A
38.7%

Meanwhile, South America and Europe have low rates, as do parts of Asia where Islam is not a majority religion.

However, there are some interesting standouts in this map. For example, South Korea, the U.S., and Australia have male circumcision rates above 50%, but all have combined Muslim and Jewish populations under 5% of the overall total.

Finally, it’s worth noting that the WHO recommends voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) to reduce HIV risk for heterosexual men in high-incidence areas like Eastern Africa. However, it also states it is one of many prevention methods, alongside condom use and post-exposure treatment.

Islam is the second-largest religion in the world with nearly 1.8 billion followers. Check out Charted: The World’s Largest Religions to see where Judaism ranks.