Korea was selected as the country with the most plastic surgeries per 1,000 people in the world. Most of the top rankings were South American countries, but first place was taken by Korea. On the 20th, Insider Monkey, an American investment media outlet, selected the top 20 ‘cosmetic plastic surgery countries’ based on data from the International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).
In this survey, which divided the number of plastic surgeries by population, the top five countries were Greece (5th), Colombia (4th), Brazil (3rd), Argentina (2nd), and Korea (1st). Even in East Asia, Japan ranked 14th and Taiwan ranked 18th. The United States ranked 6th and Germany ranked 7th.
In Korea, which ranked first, 8.9 people per 1,000 people had plastic surgery. This is approximately 1 in 100 people of all ages and genders. The size of Korea’s cosmetic surgery market has already reached $10.7 billion (approximately 14.32 trillion won) in 2018, accounting for approximately 25% of the global cosmetic surgery market. It is estimated that approximately 25% of women aged 19 to 29 undergo plastic surgery such as nose surgery, and 20 to 33% of women living in Seoul undergo plastic surgery.
The plastic surgery industry is having a significant impact on the Korean economy, and in 2022, approximately 46,300 foreigners visited Korea for plastic surgery tourism.
In second place was Argentina with 8.81 per 1,000 population, where the most popular surgeries were breast augmentation and liposuction. Demand for cosmetic surgery has tripled in two years since November 2019. Even in a collapsed economy, plastic surgery tours are also attracting attention thanks to high-quality cosmetic surgeons and relatively low treatment costs.
Brazil ranked third, with 7.62 people per 1,000 people receiving plastic surgery. Breast augmentation, liposuction, and rhinoplasty are the most popular, and the number of plastic surgeons in Argentina is 8,039 (as of 2019), which is the highest per capita in the world.
Part of the poster for the 2006 Korean film ‘Beauty is Painful’, about a woman whose life changes through plastic surgery.Fourth place is Colombia, with 7.26 per 1,000 population. Liposuction is the most common, and breast augmentation and umbilical augmentation are also popular. Because surgery costs are 30-40% cheaper than in the U.S., many foreigners come here for plastic surgery tours.
Fifth place is Greece, with 6.33 people per 1,000 people. Breast augmentation, liposuction, eyelid correction, and Botox injections are popular.
According to a survey by the International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), 86.5% of cosmetic surgeries are performed on women. According to Fortune, an American business magazine, the global market size for cosmetic surgery in 2023 is approximately $57.7 billion (approximately KRW 77.2257 trillion), and is expected to grow to $75.2 billion by 2030.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.