What does current data show about how common cosmetic surgery and nonsurgical aesthetic procedures are for women in diff

The Big Picture

Aesthetic procedures are common worldwide and still climbing. In 2024, close to 38 million were performed globally [41][103][142][212][230]. That includes more than 17.4 million surgical procedures and about 20.5 million nonsurgical ones [43][106][144][213]. In 2023, the total was nearly 35 million, up 3.4% from the previous year [35][158]. Nonsurgical treatments already outnumbered surgical ones in 2023, with about 19.1 million nonsurgical versus 15.8 million surgical procedures [136].

Growth has been steady: one ISAPS-based report puts the rise in cosmetic plastic surgery at 41.3% over the past four years [1][164], while ISAPS itself reports a 42.5% increase over four years [44][105][230] and a 40% jump from 2020 [42][104][143].

Women Are the Majority of Patients

Women are the main audience for these procedures. About 92% of cosmetic surgery patients worldwide are women [33][152]. Another estimate says women are about 90% of nonsurgical procedure patients [130], and one more source puts women at about 85.5% of cosmetic procedure patients [231].

Nearly half of all cosmetic treatments are done on people aged 40 to 54 [34][161]. A separate global analysis says surgical procedures such as breast augmentation and rhinoplasty are especially common among 18- to 34-year-olds, while Botox-type injections are more popular for ages 35 to 50 [232].

Most Common Procedures for Women

For women, the most common surgical procedure in 2024 was liposuction, followed by eyelid surgery and breast augmentation [48][109][137][216]. Breast procedures totaled 3.9 million worldwide in 2024, and body and extremity procedures totaled 6 million [141]. Around 54% of breast augmentations were performed on women aged 18 to 34 [51][114][140][218].

On the nonsurgical side, botulinum toxin (Botox) was the most common procedure for both women and men, with 7.8 million procedures in 2024 [49][110][139][217]. Hyaluronic acid fillers were second at 6.3 million [50][111][146]. The overall top five nonsurgical treatments were botulinum toxin, hyaluronic acid filler, hair removal, nonsurgical skin tightening, and chemical peels [47][108][145][215]. In 2023, Botox alone topped 9.5 million procedures [36][159]. Botox injections are most popular among people aged 35 to 50, who account for about 47% of them [51][114][218].

Country Totals: Who Does the Most

By total volume, the United States leads. In 2024, it performed just over 6.1 million procedures, according to ISAPS [45][112][138][219], and about 6.2 million in another 2024 breakdown (2 million surgical, 4.2 million nonsurgical) [71]. The US also led in 2023, with about 6.2 million procedures [32][157], and in 2021, with about 7.4 million [2][165]. In 2021, the US accounted for about 30.4% of all nonsurgical procedures worldwide [23][196].

Brazil is second overall and first in surgical procedures, with about 3.1 million total procedures in 2024, including 2.3 million surgical ones [45][112][138][219]. Another 2024 table lists Brazil at 3.1 million total, 2.4 million surgical, and about 769,200 nonsurgical [72]. Japan is third, with about 1.6 million total procedures in 2024 (380,000 surgical, 1.3 million nonsurgical) [45][73][112][219].

Other big markets in the 2024 data include Italy (1.4 million total) [74], Germany (1.3 million) [75], Mexico (1.3 million) [76], India (1.3 million) [77], Turkey (1.1 million) [78], France (912,900) [79], Taiwan (658,300) [80], Spain (588,900) [81], Greece (529,400) [82], Colombia (490,900) [83], the UAE (482,800) [84], and Argentina (435,900) [85]. Even in 2021, several countries already had large numbers: Brazil over 2.7 million total procedures [26][203], Mexico 1.27 million [20][190], Germany 1.08 million [22][194], Turkey more than 950,000 [21][192], and Italy 668,784 [19][188].

Per-Person Rates: Smaller Countries Can Lead

Total volume is not the same as how common procedures are for the average person.

South Korea has the highest per-capita rate in the world, at about 8.90 procedures per 1,000 residents [28][153][207]; another ISAPS figure puts it even higher at 13.5 per 1,000 [6][209]. It is often called the cosmetic surgery capital of the world [5][208]. Estimates suggest 1 in 3 South Korean women aged 19 to 29 have had plastic surgery [7][210][131], about 1 in 25 South Koreans overall have had it, with women the largest demographic [58], and young South Korean women commonly get Botox and skin tightening [132].

Argentina is second at about 8.81 per 1,000 [29][154][204], followed by Brazil at 7.62 [30][155][202], Colombia at 7.26 [31][200], Greece at 6.33 [31][198], Germany at 5.72 [31][193], Turkey at 5.40 [31][191], Mexico at 5.31 [31][189], Italy at 4.79 [31][187], and Spain at 4.62 [31][185]. The US, despite its huge total, ranks about sixth per capita at roughly 5.91 per 1,000 [57][195].

Caveat: per-capita numbers differ a lot by database. For example, one 2024 table lists Greece at 52.69 procedures per 1,000 people [82], Taiwan at 28.36 [80], the UAE at 43.78 [84], and Italy at 23.11 [74], while other rankings use much lower figures [31][74][185]. The differences reflect different counting methods.

Popular Procedures Differ by Country

Country and regional preferences also vary. In the US, Botox is arguably the most popular procedure, and breast augmentation is very common, with more than 300,000 procedures estimated in 2018 [60][61]. Liposuction and breast augmentation are the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the US, at about 19% each [197]. In Brazil, Botox, breast augmentation, and liposuction are among the most common [62]. In South Korea, rhinoplasty (nose job), liposuction, and eyelid surgery top the list [63], while double eyelid surgery, eye revision, and jawline contouring are particularly popular [38]. In Greece, eyelid surgery, liposuction, and breast augmentation lead [199]; in Italy, Botox and liposuction are popular [65]; in Colombia, liposuction is popular [66]; and in Taiwan, Botox and wrinkle work are popular [67].

Regional Patterns and Medical Tourism

North America, led by the US, accounts for nearly half of all nonsurgical procedures globally, with the US alone performing over 7.8 million minimally invasive treatments in 2024 [133]. North America also holds the largest share of the cosmetic surgery market [162].

The Asia-Pacific region, led by South Korea, is rapidly gaining ground [163]; Asia collectively performed more than 13.7 million procedures in 2024 [235]. Japan and Italy tend to favor nonsurgical touch-up treatments over surgery [134], and in Taiwan, laser procedures are more common than surgical ones [11][173].

Latin America is a hotspot. Brazil has one of the highest per-capita rates globally [26][30], and its culture treats liposuction and breast implants almost as status symbols [69]. Colombia, Mexico, and Costa Rica are popular destinations [68], and Costa Rica has a high rate despite a population of only 5.2 million [12][175].

Eastern Europe also stands out: Romania ranks high per capita with only 350 plastic surgeons [16][182], the Czech Republic has a high per-capita rate partly because of medical tourism [17][184], and Hungary is a popular destination too [68]. Spain's 900 plastic surgeons perform about 450,000 surgical and nonsurgical procedures a year [18][186].

Medical tourism is a major reason some countries have high numbers. Turkey performed more than 950,000 procedures in 2021 and ranked third in rhinoplasties [21][192], and it performs nearly half of all procedures for foreign patients in its region [240]. The countries with the highest proportion of foreign patients are Tunisia, the UAE, Colombia, and Turkiye [52][113][220]. Other medical tourism hubs include Colombia, Mexico, Turkey, Syria, and Thailand [239], with Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, South Korea, Singapore, Czechia, Hungary, and Turkey also named as popular destinations [68]. In Singapore, a Statista study found that 9% of residents have already had at least one cosmetic procedure and nearly half are considering one [9][171].

A Caveat on the Numbers

Because the evidence comes mainly from ISAPS, it is worth noting that ISAPS says its annual Global Survey is the only international scientific study of aesthetic procedures performed by plastic surgeons [115][123][120], and its samples include only aesthetic plastic surgeons. That means real-world procedure totals are probably higher [167]. Also, different years are mixed in the data: some figures are 2024, some are 2023, and some are 2021 [32][45][165]. The 2025 ISAPS survey is already being analyzed, so newer statistics are on the way [117][124].