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. 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.
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 started10. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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%.
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.
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%.
No comments: