Sexual Effects of Circumcision - Prevalence

Prevalence

Circumcision is probably the world's most widely performed procedure. Approximately one-third of males worldwide are circumcised, most often for reasons other than medical indication. It is commonly practiced between infancy and the early twenties. The WHO estimated in 2007 that 664,500,000 males aged 15 and over are circumcised (30% global prevalence), almost 70% of whom are Muslim. Circumcision is most prevalent in the Muslim world, Israel, South Korea, the United States and parts of Southeast Asia and Africa. It is relatively rare in Europe, Latin America, parts of Southern Africa and Oceania and most of Asia. Prevalence is near-universal in the Middle East and Central Asia. Non-religious circumcision in Asia, outside of the Republic of Korea and the Philippines, is rare, and prevalence is generally low (less than 20%) across Europe. Estimates for individual countries include Spain and Colombia less than 2%; Brazil 7%; Taiwan 9%; Thailand 13%; and Australia 58.7%. Prevalence in the United States and Canada is estimated at 75% and 30% respectively. Prevalence in Africa varies from less than 20% in some southern African countries to near universal in North and West Africa.

Medical organizations can affect the neonatal circumcision rate of a country by influencing whether the costs of the circumcision are borne by the parents or covered by insurance or a national health care system. Policies that require the costs to be paid by the parents yield lower neonatal circumcision rates. For example, in Great Britain, after the National Health Service did not cover the costs of the procedure, circumcision rates declined, and in the United States, the individual states where insurance or Medicaid covers the costs have high neonatal circumcision rates. Changes to policy are driven by the results of new research, and moderated by the politics, demographics, and culture of the communities.