Using published data, the global prevalence of circumcision in adult men is estimated at 34.3%.
Methods
Population data were downloaded from CIA.gov[1]; a short R program (download) was written to convert this file to CSV (Comma-Separated Value) format (download).
Data for the percentage of Jews by country were obtained from a publication by the Jewish Virtual Library[2], and were entered by hand into a CSV file (download). These percentages were multiplied by the population data to obtain estimated numbers of Jews on a per-country basis.
Data for the percentage of Muslims by country were obtained from a Pew Forum report[3], and were entered by hand into a CSV file (download). Estimated numbers of Muslims by country were obtained from these and population data.
Recorded circumcision rates were obtained from published papers; these were entered by hand into a CSV file (download), and estimated numbers of circumcised men were again obtained by multiplying by population data. Where multiple rates were recorded for a given country, the mean rate was used.
For each country that lacked an estimate for the number of circumcised men, this figure was estimated from the sum of the numbers of Jewish and Muslim men. If neither figure could be estimated, the country was excluded from further calculations.
The overall prevalence of circumcision was simply estimated as the total number of circumcised men divided by the total population.
All data processing was automated, using a simple R program (download).
Results
(The results may also be downloaded as a CSV file.)
Table 1: Estimated prevalence of circumcision, by country
| Country | Population | Muslim n (%) | Jewish n (%) | Circumcised n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 28395716 | 28310529 (100) | 0 (0) | 28310529 (100) |
| Albania | 3639453 | 2907923 (80) | 0 (0) | 2907923 (80) |
| Algeria | 34178188 | 33494624 (98) | 0 (0) | 33494624 (98) |
| American Samoa | 65628 | 66 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 66 (0.1) |
| Andorra | 83888 | 839 (1) | 0 (0) | 839 (1) |
| Angola | 12799293 | 127993 (1) | 0 (0) | 8447533 (66) |
| Anguilla | 14436 | 43 (0.3) | 0 (0) | 43 (0.3) |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 85632 | 514 (0.6) | 0 (0) | 514 (0.6) |
| Argentina | 40913584 | 777358 (1.9) | 196385 (0.48) | 973743 (2.4) |
| Armenia | 2967004 | 2967 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 2967 (0.1) |
| Aruba | 103065 | 206 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 206 (0.2) |
| Australia | 21262641 | 361465 (1.7) | 106313 (0.5) | 12481170 (59) |
| Austria | 8210281 | 344832 (4.2) | 9031 (0.11) | 353863 (4.3) |
| Azerbaijan | 8238672 | 8172763 (99) | 6591 (0.08) | 8179354 (99) |
| Bahamas, The | 307552 | 308 (0.1) | 308 (0.1) | 615 (0.2) |
| Bahrain | 728709 | 591712 (81) | 0 (0) | 591712 (81) |
| Bangladesh | 156050883 | 139821591 (90) | 0 (0) | 139821591 (90) |
| Barbados | 284589 | 2277 (0.8) | 0 (0) | 2277 (0.8) |
| Belarus | 9648533 | 96485 (1) | 18332 (0.19) | 114818 (1.2) |
| Belgium | 10414336 | 312430 (3) | 312 (0.003) | 312743 (3) |
| Belize | 307899 | 308 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 308 (0.1) |
| Benin | 8791832 | 2145207 (24) | 0 (0) | 7385139 (84) |
| Bermuda | 67837 | 543 (0.8) | 0 (0) | 543 (0.8) |
| Bhutan | 691141 | 6911 (1) | 0 (0) | 6911 (1) |
| Bolivia | 9775246 | 9775 (0.1) | 4888 (0.05) | 14663 (0.15) |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4613414 | 1845366 (40) | 2307 (0.05) | 1847672 (40) |
| Botswana | 1990876 | 7964 (0.4) | 995 (0.05) | 497719 (25) |
| Brazil | 198739269 | 198739 (0.1) | 99370 (0.05) | 14706706 (7.4) |
| British Virgin Islands | 24491 | 294 (1.2) | 0 (0) | 294 (1.2) |
| Brunei | 388190 | 260864 (67) | 0 (0) | 260864 (67) |
| Bulgaria | 7204687 | 878972 (12) | 3602 (0.05) | 882574 (12) |
| Burkina Faso | 15746232 | 9290277 (59) | 0 (0) | 14014146 (89) |
| Burma | 48137741 | 1829234 (3.8) | 0 (0) | 1829234 (3.8) |
| Burundi | 9511330 | 190227 (2) | 0 (0) | 190227 (2) |
| Cambodia | 14494293 | 231909 (1.6) | 0 (0) | 231909 (1.6) |
| Cameroon | 18879301 | 3379395 (18) | 0 (0) | 17557750 (93) |
| Canada | 33487208 | 669744 (2) | 388452 (1.2) | 14600423 (44) |
| Cape Verde | 429474 | 4295 (1) | 0 (0) | 4295 (1) |
| Cayman Islands | 49035 | 98 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 98 (0.2) |
| Central African Republic | 4511488 | 401522 (8.9) | 0 (0) | 3022697 (67) |
| Chad | 10329208 | 5763698 (56) | 0 (0) | 6610693 (64) |
| Chile | 16601707 | 16602 (0.1) | 21582 (0.13) | 38184 (0.23) |
| China | 1338612968 | 21417807 (1.6) | 669306 (0.05) | 171342460 (13) |
| Colombia | 43677372 | 436774 (1) | 21839 (0.05) | 3013739 (6.9) |
| Comoros | 752438 | 739647 (98) | 0 (0) | 739647 (98) |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 68692542 | 961696 (1.4) | 34346 (0.05) | 48084779 (70) |
| Congo, Republic of the | 4012809 | 64205 (1.6) | 0 (0) | 2808966 (70) |
| Cook Islands | 11870 | 12 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 12 (0.1) |
| Costa Rica | 4253877 | 42539 (1) | 2552 (0.06) | 45091 (1.1) |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 20617068 | 7566464 (37) | 0 (0) | 7566464 (37) |
| Croatia | 4489409 | 44894 (1) | 2245 (0.05) | 47139 (1) |
| Cuba | 11451652 | 11452 (0.1) | 5726 (0.05) | 17177 (0.15) |
| Cyprus | 1084748 | 246238 (23) | 0 (0) | 246238 (23) |
| Czech Republic | 10211904 | 10212 (0.1) | 5106 (0.05) | 15318 (0.15) |
| Denmark | 5500510 | 110010 (2) | 6601 (0.12) | 539050 (9.8) |
| Djibouti | 724622 | 702159 (97) | 0 (0) | 681145 (94) |
| Dominica | 72660 | 73 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 73 (0.1) |
| Dominican Republic | 9650054 | 9650 (0.1) | 4825 (0.05) | 14475 (0.15) |
| Ecuador | 14573101 | 14573 (0.1) | 7287 (0.05) | 21860 (0.15) |
| Egypt | 78866635 | 74607837 (95) | 39433 (0.05) | 74647270 (95) |
| El Salvador | 7185218 | 7185 (0.1) | 3593 (0.05) | 10778 (0.15) |
| Equatorial Guinea | 633441 | 25338 (4) | 0 (0) | 544759 (86) |
| Eritrea | 5647168 | 2061216 (36) | 0 (0) | 5364810 (95) |
| Estonia | 1299371 | 1299 (0.1) | 1949 (0.15) | 3248 (0.25) |
| Ethiopia | 85237338 | 28895458 (34) | 42619 (0.05) | 64780377 (76) |
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | 3140 | 3 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 3 (0.1) |
| Fiji | 944720 | 59517 (6.3) | 0 (0) | 59517 (6.3) |
| Finland | 5250275 | 26251 (0.5) | 2625 (0.05) | 372770 (7.1) |
| France | 64057792 | 3843468 (6) | 518868 (0.81) | 14733292 (23) |
| French Polynesia | 287032 | 287 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 287 (0.1) |
| Gabon | 1514993 | 143924 (9.5) | 0 (0) | 1408943 (93) |
| Gambia, The | 1778081 | 1689177 (95) | 0 (0) | 1689177 (95) |
| Gaza Strip | 1551859 | 1520822 (98) | 102423 (6.6) | 1623245 (100) |
| Georgia | 4615807 | 456965 (9.9) | 3693 (0.08) | 460658 (10) |
| Germany | 82329758 | 4116488 (5) | 115262 (0.14) | 4231750 (5.1) |
| Ghana | 23887812 | 3798162 (16) | 0 (0) | 22693421 (95) |
| Gibraltar | 28796 | 1152 (4) | 691 (2.4) | 1843 (6.4) |
| Greece | 10737428 | 322123 (3) | 5369 (0.05) | 327492 (3) |
| Greenland | 57600 | 58 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 58 (0.1) |
| Grenada | 90739 | 272 (0.3) | 0 (0) | 272 (0.3) |
| Guatemala | 13276517 | 13277 (0.1) | 6638 (0.05) | 19915 (0.15) |
| Guernsey | 65484 | 65 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 65 (0.1) |
| Guinea | 10057975 | 8488931 (84) | 0 (0) | 8348119 (83) |
| Guinea-Bissau | 1533964 | 647333 (42) | 0 (0) | 647333 (42) |
| Guyana | 752940 | 54212 (7.2) | 0 (0) | 54212 (7.2) |
| Haiti | 9035536 | 9036 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 9036 (0.1) |
| Holy See (Vatican City) | 826 | 1 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.1) |
| Honduras | 7833696 | 7834 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 7834 (0.1) |
| Hong Kong | 7055071 | 70551 (1) | 0 (0) | 70551 (1) |
| Hungary | 9905596 | 19811 (0.2) | 48537 (0.49) | 68349 (0.69) |
| Iceland | 306694 | 307 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 307 (0.1) |
| India | 1156897766 | 155024301 (13) | 578449 (0.05) | 96022515 (8.3) |
| Indonesia | 240271522 | 211919482 (88) | 0 (0) | 211919482 (88) |
| Iran | 66429284 | 66030708 (99) | 33215 (0.05) | 66063923 (99) |
| Iraq | 28945569 | 28656113 (99) | 0 (0) | 28656113 (99) |
| Ireland | 4203200 | 21016 (0.5) | 2102 (0.05) | 23118 (0.55) |
| Isle of Man | 76512 | 153 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 153 (0.2) |
| Israel | 7233701 | 1208028 (17) | 5439743 (75) | 6647771 (92) |
| Italy | 58126212 | 581262 (1) | 29063 (0.05) | 610325 (1) |
| Jamaica | 2825928 | 2826 (0.1) | 1413 (0.05) | 4239 (0.15) |
| Japan | 127078679 | 127079 (0.1) | 63539 (0.05) | 190618 (0.15) |
| Jersey | 91626 | 92 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 92 (0.1) |
| Jordan | 6269285 | 6156438 (98) | 0 (0) | 6156438 (98) |
| Kazakhstan | 15399437 | 8685282 (56) | 7700 (0.05) | 8692982 (56) |
| Kenya | 39002772 | 2730194 (7) | 19501 (0.05) | 32762328 (84) |
| Kiribati | 112850 | 113 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 113 (0.1) |
| Korea, North | 22665345 | 22665 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 22665 (0.1) |
| Korea, South | 48508972 | 48509 (0.1) | 24254 (0.05) | 37836998 (78) |
| Kosovo | 1804838 | 1617135 (90) | 0 (0) | 1617135 (90) |
| Kuwait | 2692526 | 2557900 (95) | 0 (0) | 2557900 (95) |
| Kyrgyzstan | 5431747 | 4687598 (86) | 2716 (0.05) | 4690314 (86) |
| Laos | 6834345 | 6834 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 6834 (0.1) |
| Latvia | 2231503 | 22315 (1) | 9595 (0.43) | 31910 (1.4) |
| Lebanon | 4017095 | 2382137 (59) | 0 (0) | 2382137 (59) |
| Lesotho | 2130819 | 2131 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Liberia | 3441790 | 419898 (12) | 0 (0) | 2409253 (70) |
| Libya | 6324357 | 6109329 (97) | 0 (0) | 6109329 (97) |
| Liechtenstein | 34761 | 1669 (4.8) | 0 (0) | 1669 (4.8) |
| Lithuania | 3555179 | 3555 (0.1) | 3200 (0.09) | 6755 (0.19) |
| Luxembourg | 491775 | 14753 (3) | 590 (0.12) | 15343 (3.1) |
| Macau | 559846 | 560 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 560 (0.1) |
| Macedonia | 2066718 | 688217 (33) | 1033 (0.05) | 689250 (33) |
| Madagascar | 20653556 | 227189 (1.1) | 0 (0) | 18175129 (88) |
| Malawi | 15028757 | 1923681 (13) | 0 (0) | 2554889 (17) |
| Malaysia | 25715819 | 15532355 (60) | 0 (0) | 15532355 (60) |
| Maldives | 396334 | 389993 (98) | 0 (0) | 389993 (98) |
| Mali | 13443225 | 12434983 (92) | 0 (0) | 12771064 (95) |
| Malta | 405165 | 810 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 810 (0.2) |
| Marshall Islands | 64522 | 65 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 65 (0.1) |
| Mauritania | 3129486 | 3101321 (99) | 0 (0) | 2440999 (78) |
| Mauritius | 1284264 | 213188 (17) | 0 (0) | 213188 (17) |
| Mayotte | 223765 | 220185 (98) | 0 (0) | 220185 (98) |
| Mexico | 111211789 | 1112118 (1) | 55606 (0.05) | 11121179 (10) |
| Micronesia, Federated States of | 107434 | 107 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 107 (0.1) |
| Moldova | 4320748 | 21604 (0.5) | 4753 (0.11) | 26357 (0.61) |
| Monaco | 32965 | 132 (0.4) | 0 (0) | 132 (0.4) |
| Mongolia | 3041142 | 152057 (5) | 0 (0) | 152057 (5) |
| Montenegro | 672180 | 118976 (18) | 0 (0) | 118976 (18) |
| Montserrat | 5097 | 5 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 5 (0.1) |
| Morocco | 31285174 | 30972322 (99) | 3129 (0.01) | 30975451 (99) |
| Mozambique | 21669278 | 4940595 (23) | 0 (0) | 12134796 (56) |
| Namibia | 2108665 | 8435 (0.4) | 1054 (0.05) | 316300 (15) |
| Nauru | 14019 | 14 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 14 (0.1) |
| Nepal | 28563377 | 1199662 (4.2) | 0 (0) | 1199662 (4.2) |
| Netherlands | 16715999 | 952812 (5.7) | 30089 (0.18) | 982901 (5.9) |
| Netherlands Antilles | 227049 | 454 (0.2) | 204 (0.09) | 658 (0.29) |
| New Caledonia | 227436 | 6368 (2.8) | 0 (0) | 6368 (2.8) |
| New Zealand | 4213418 | 37921 (0.9) | 7163 (0.17) | 1124983 (27) |
| Nicaragua | 5891199 | 5891 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 5891 (0.1) |
| Niger | 15306252 | 15091964 (99) | 0 (0) | 15091964 (99) |
| Nigeria | 149229090 | 75211461 (50) | 74615 (0.05) | 75286076 (50) |
| Niue | 1398 | 1 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.1) |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 51484 | 360 (0.7) | 0 (0) | 360 (0.7) |
| Norway | 4660539 | 46605 (1) | 2330 (0.05) | 48936 (1) |
| Oman | 3418085 | 2997661 (88) | 0 (0) | 2997661 (88) |
| Pakistan | 174578558 | 168119151 (96) | 0 (0) | 168119151 (96) |
| Palau | 20796 | 21 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 21 (0.1) |
| Panama | 3360474 | 23523 (0.7) | 5377 (0.16) | 28900 (0.86) |
| Papua New Guinea | 5940775 | 5941 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 5941 (0.1) |
| Paraguay | 6995655 | 6996 (0.1) | 3498 (0.05) | 10493 (0.15) |
| Peru | 29546963 | 29547 (0.1) | 14773 (0.05) | 44320 (0.15) |
| Philippines | 97976603 | 4996807 (5.1) | 48988 (0.05) | 90628358 (92) |
| Pitcairn Islands | 48 | 0 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0.1) |
| Poland | 38482919 | 384829 (1) | 19241 (0.05) | 404071 (1) |
| Portugal | 10707924 | 10708 (0.1) | 5354 (0.05) | 16062 (0.15) |
| Puerto Rico | 3966213 | 3966 (0.1) | 1983 (0.05) | 5949 (0.15) |
| Qatar | 833285 | 645796 (78) | 0 (0) | 645796 (78) |
| Romania | 22215421 | 66646 (0.3) | 11108 (0.05) | 77754 (0.35) |
| Russia | 140041247 | 16384826 (12) | 224066 (0.16) | 16608892 (12) |
| Rwanda | 10746311 | 193434 (1.8) | 0 (0) | 1074631 (10) |
| Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha | 7637 | 8 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 8 (0.1) |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 40131 | 40 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 40 (0.1) |
| Saint Lucia | 160267 | 160 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 160 (0.1) |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 7063 | 14 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 14 (0.2) |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 104574 | 1569 (1.5) | 0 (0) | 1569 (1.5) |
| Samoa | 219998 | 220 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 220 (0.1) |
| San Marino | 30167 | 30 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 30 (0.1) |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 212679 | 213 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 213 (0.1) |
| Saudi Arabia | 28686633 | 27826034 (97) | 0 (0) | 27826034 (97) |
| Senegal | 13711597 | 13163133 (96) | 0 (0) | 13163133 (96) |
| Serbia | 7379339 | 236139 (3.2) | 3690 (0.05) | 239829 (3.2) |
| Seychelles | 87476 | 962 (1.1) | 0 (0) | 962 (1.1) |
| Sierra Leone | 5132138 | 3659214 (71) | 0 (0) | 3659214 (71) |
| Singapore | 4657542 | 693974 (15) | 2329 (0.05) | 696303 (15) |
| Slovakia | 5463046 | 5463 (0.1) | 2732 (0.05) | 8195 (0.15) |
| Slovenia | 2005692 | 48137 (2.4) | 1003 (0.05) | 90256 (4.5) |
| Solomon Islands | 595613 | 596 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 596 (0.1) |
| Somalia | 9832017 | 9684537 (98) | 0 (0) | 9143776 (93) |
| South Africa | 49052489 | 735787 (1.5) | 73579 (0.15) | 17168371 (35) |
| Spain | 40525002 | 405250 (1) | 20263 (0.05) | 810500 (2) |
| Sri Lanka | 21324791 | 1812607 (8.5) | 0 (0) | 1812607 (8.5) |
| Sudan | 41087825 | 29295619 (71) | 0 (0) | 19311278 (47) |
| Suriname | 481267 | 76521 (16) | 241 (0.05) | 76762 (16) |
| Swaziland | 1337186 | 2674 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 668593 (50) |
| Sweden | 9059651 | 181193 (2) | 15401 (0.17) | 196594 (2.2) |
| Switzerland | 7604467 | 326992 (4.3) | 18251 (0.24) | 345243 (4.5) |
| Syria | 21762978 | 20065466 (92) | 10881 (0.05) | 20076347 (92) |
| Taiwan | 22974347 | 229743 (1) | 0 (0) | 1998768 (8.7) |
| Tajikistan | 7349145 | 6180631 (84) | 0 (0) | 6180631 (84) |
| Tanzania | 41048532 | 12396657 (30) | 0 (0) | 28733972 (70) |
| Thailand | 65998436 | 3827909 (5.8) | 32999 (0.05) | 8117808 (12) |
| Timor-Leste | 1131612 | 43001 (3.8) | 0 (0) | 43001 (3.8) |
| Togo | 6031808 | 735881 (12) | 0 (0) | 735881 (12) |
| Tonga | 120898 | 121 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 121 (0.1) |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1229953 | 71337 (5.8) | 0 (0) | 71337 (5.8) |
| Tunisia | 10486339 | 10433907 (100) | 1153 (0.011) | 10435061 (100) |
| Turkey | 76805524 | 75269414 (98) | 38403 (0.05) | 75307816 (98) |
| Turkmenistan | 4884887 | 4547830 (93) | 2442 (0.05) | 4550272 (93) |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 22942 | 23 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 23 (0.1) |
| Tuvalu | 12373 | 12 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 12 (0.1) |
| Uganda | 32369558 | 3916717 (12) | 0 (0) | 8092390 (25) |
| Ukraine | 45700395 | 457004 (1) | 77691 (0.17) | 534695 (1.2) |
| United Arab Emirates | 4798491 | 3656450 (76) | 0 (0) | 3656450 (76) |
| United Kingdom | 61113205 | 1650057 (2.7) | 305566 (0.5) | 9655886 (16) |
| United States | 307212123 | 2457697 (0.8) | 5468376 (1.8) | 242697577 (79) |
| Uruguay | 3494382 | 3494 (0.1) | 18520 (0.53) | 22015 (0.63) |
| Uzbekistan | 27606007 | 26584585 (96) | 13803 (0.05) | 26598388 (96) |
| Vanuatu | 218519 | 219 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 219 (0.1) |
| Venezuela | 26814843 | 80445 (0.3) | 16089 (0.06) | 96533 (0.36) |
| Vietnam | 88576758 | 177154 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 177154 (0.2) |
| Virgin Islands | 109825 | 110 (0.1) | 286 (0.26) | 395 (0.36) |
| Wallis and Futuna | 15289 | 15 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 15 (0.1) |
| West Bank | 2461267 | 2412042 (98) | 162444 (6.6) | 2574485 (100) |
| Western Sahara | 405210 | 402779 (99) | 0 (0) | 402779 (99) |
| Yemen | 22858238 | 22652514 (99) | 11429 (0.05) | 22663943 (99) |
| Zambia | 11862740 | 47451 (0.4) | 0 (0) | 1423529 (12) |
| Zimbabwe | 11392629 | 102534 (0.9) | 5696 (0.05) | 1139263 (10) |
References
- Central Intelligence Agency. Country comparison: population [online]. 2010 [accessed 4 Mar 2010]. Available from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/rawdata_2119.text
- Jewish Virtual Library. The Jewish Population of the World [online]. 2006 [accessed 4 Mar 2010]. Available from: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/jewpop.html
- Pew Forum. Mapping the Global Muslim Population [online]. 2009 [accessed 4 Mar 2010]. Available from: http://pewforum.org/newassets/images/reports/Muslimpopulation/Muslimpopulation.pdf
