As societal expectations shift and idealised beauty becomes ever-more pervasive, cosmetic procedures continue to rise in popularity on a global scale. We take a look at the countries leading the surge in plastic surgery rates.

The prevalence of cosmetic plastic surgery continues to rise, with a 41.3% increase over the past four years, according to International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) statistics.

According to 2021 data, the US performs the most procedures worldwide with over 7.4 million procedures (22% of total procedures), followed by Brazil (8.9%) which is first in surgical procedures, and Japan (7.3%). The US and Brazil are estimated to have the most plastic surgeons (30% combined), followed by Japan in third place, China in fourth, and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in fifth.

Per capita analysis

Per capita analysis plays a large role in comprehending plastic surgery trends. This analytical approach takes into account the size of the population, enabling comparisons between countries with different population sizes. While countries like the United States and Brazil have a larger number of plastic surgeons, when examining rates relative to population size, Asian countries like South Korea showcase a higher prevalence of plastic surgery.

A recent article published in finance.yahoo.com ranked the countries with the highest plastic surgeries rates per 1,000 people based on 2021 ISAPS data for each country. It’s important to note that the samples of ISAPS studies only include aesthetic plastic surgeons. The actual number of cosmetic procedures is potentially staggeringly higher if we were to include aesthetic practitioners who are not plastic surgeons.

20 – India

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 0.26

There were 370,656 cosmetic surgeries performed in India in 2021. Interestingly, the number of liposuction procedures performed in India (82,488) ranks it as the 4th highest country to perform this type of procedure globally, and 8th country overall by a total number of surgical and non-surgical procedures.

19 – Singapore

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 1.2

Singapore has a population of 5.5 million and 86 registered plastic surgeons as of 2022. Demand in cosmetic procedures has been increasing, demonstrated by a 10% rise in new patients compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to a businessinsider.com article. Further, a study by Statista reported that 9% of Singaporeans have already undergone at least one cosmetic procedure, and nearly half the population is considering a cosmetic procedure.

18 – Taiwan

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 1.34

Taiwan’s cosmetic surgery industry has been steadily rising, and it now has more than 750 board- certified plastic surgeons. In Taiwan, laser procedures are more commonly performed than surgical procedures, according to the finance.yahoo.com report.

17 – Costa Rica

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 1.38

Despite a population of 5.2 million, Costa Rica has a high rate of plastic surgeries, helped by its burgeoning medical tourism industry.

16 – Hungary

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 1.40

Hungary has a population of 9.7 million, with around 166 plastic surgeons. Demand for cosmetic procedures in Hungary has been on the rise, with Budapest seen as a central hub for medical tourism due to its numerous clinics.

15 – Thailand

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 1.49

Thailand saw a total of 106,372 surgical procedures in 2021, according to ISAPS data. The most common procedures are rhinoplasty (22.2%) and eyelid surgery (18.7), followed by breast augmentation (9,1%) and liposuction (8.1%). According to finance.yahoo.com, the aesthetic medicine market in Thailand was valued at USD 1.52 billion in 2021. This has no doubt been boosted by its strong medical tourism industry – an average of 23.2% of patients attended from other countries, including Australia, China and the US.

14 – Japan

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 2.13

A total of 265,733 surgical cosmetic surgical procedures were performed in Japan in 2021, with eyelid surgery taking the top position (accounting for a whopping 57.5% of all cosmetic surgeical procedures performed in Japan) and then facelift surgery (17.3%) followed by fat grafting to the face (8.7%). The country ranks 4th in terms of number of plastic surgeons (2,750).

13 – Romania

Plastic Surgeries per 1000 People: 3.07

Romania ranks high in terms of per capita rates of cosmetic surgeries globally, despite having just 350 plastic surgeons. The most commonly performed procedures are breast augmentation (19.3% of all cosmetic surgeries), followed by lip enhancement (16.9%), eyelid surgery (12%) and rhinoplasty (9.8%).

12 – Czech Republic

Plastic surgeries per 1000 People: 3.95

The Czech Republic has a high rate of plastic surgery per capita, but a significant chunk of this comes from medical tourism. The yahoofinance. com article reports a 15% annual increase in foreign individuals seeking plastic surgery.

11 – Spain

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 4.62

Spain’s 900 plastic surgeons perform around 450,000 surgical and non-surgical procedures annually. The medical tourism industry is significant, with the UK being the most frequently-cited country of foreign patients to Spain.

10 – Italy

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 4.79

Italy has a high per capita rate of cosmetic procedures, with 668,784 procedures in 2021 within a population of 59 million. Breast augmentation was the most common surgical procedure (14.6%) followed by eyelid surgery (11.8%) and lip enhancement (11.3%).

9 – Mexico

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 5.31

Mexico, with a population of 126.7 million, had a total of 1.27 million surgical and non-surgical procedures performed in 2021. Liposuction is most popular here (15.3%), followed by breast augmentation (11.6%) and buttock augmentation (9.5%). Mexico
has a high percentage of patients attending from other countries (median 20%), with the US being the most cited country.

8 – Turkey

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 5.40

Turkey had more than 950,000 procedures performed in 2021, according to ISAPS, and ranked number 3 for most rhinoplasties performed (68,029 procedures). A significant percentage of this number is from patients attending from other countries (most notably from Germany and the UK), with an average of 32.1% presenting as medical tourism patients.

7 – Germany

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 5.72

Germany, with a population of 83.2 million, saw 1,082,892 surgical and non-surgical procedures performed in 2021, according to ISAPS. Liposuction took pole position (16.8%), followed by eyelid surgery (14.6%) and breast augmentation

(14.0%). Germany ranks among the top five countries globally for cosmetic procedures.

6 – USA

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 5.91

With a total number of 7,347,900, the US has the most cosmetic procedures performed in the world, apprising 15.5% of total surgical procedures performed worldwide and 30.4% of all non- surgical procedures. Liposuction and breast augmentation are the most frequently performed surgical procedures (19.1% and 19.0%, respectively). The US also has the most plastic surgeons of any country (7,500), amassing 17% of the total of plastic surgeons worldwide.

5 – Greece

Plastic Surgeries per 1000 people: 6.33

With just 350 plastic surgeons, Greece ranks fifth among the countries with the highest plastic surgery rates per capita. The most popular surgeries are eyelid surgery (15.4%), liposuction (14.1%) and breast augmentation (11.2%).

4 – Colombia

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 7.26

With a population of 51.5 million and 374,000 cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2021, Colombia ranks fourth among plastic surgery procedures per capita. Liposuction is the most common surgical procedure, representing 13.5% of all surgical procedures

3 – Brazil

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 7.62

Brazil has one of the highest per capita rates of plastic surgeries globally, performing over 2.7 million surgical and non-surgical procedures in 2021. Its most common surgical procedures are liposuction (15.8%), breast augmentation (10.9%) and eyelid surgery (10.8%). Brazil performs the most eyelid surgeries (177,240) and rhinoplasties (78,720) in the world, according to ISAPS data.

2 – Argentina

Plastic surgeries per 1000 people: 8.81

Despite performing less total cosmetic procedures than the US, Brazil and Mexico, Argentina has the second highest rate of cosmetic surgery per capita. In 2021, 398,980 cosmetic surgical procedures were performed and 670,000 non-surgical procedures. According to an article in La Prensa Latina, demand for cosmetic procedures tripled between November 2019 and November 2021, even in a collapsed economy.