Plastic surgery in South Korea is shaped by strong demand across age and gender, with most patients being women and a large share concentrated among young adults, particularly for eyelid and other facial procedures. Seoul and especially Gangnam function as the country’s main hub, where thousands of clinics and highly active surgeons drive a fast-moving market. As the page explores what procedures dominate, who is most affected, and the role of both traditional specialties and newer technologies, it also considers the broader social and healthcare factors that keep this sector growing.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, South Korea's plastic surgery market was valued at 13.5 trillion KRW (about $10.6 billion USD)
- Projected growth of South Korea's cosmetic surgery market to reach 15.2 trillion KRW by 2025, CAGR 3.1%
- Gangnam district clinics generated 70% of Seoul's plastic surgery revenue in 2022, over 9 trillion KRW
- 25-29 year old women underwent 35% of all procedures in 2022
- Females comprised 92.5% of plastic surgery patients in South Korea in 2022
- 18-24 year olds made up 28% of patients, mostly eyelid surgeries
- In 2022, South Korea performed 1,233,000 surgical and non-surgical aesthetic procedures, ranking first globally per capita with 23.5 procedures per 1,000 people
- Double eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) accounted for 21.6% of all procedures in South Korea in 2022, totaling approximately 266,000 cases
- Rhinoplasty procedures in South Korea reached 92,000 in 2022, representing 7.5% of total aesthetic surgeries
- There are over 50,000 board-certified plastic surgeons in South Korea as of 2023
- Seoul has 2,300 plastic surgery clinics, 75% in Gangnam
- Average surgeon performs 1,200 procedures per year, highest globally
- PDO thread lifts increased 40% from 2021-2023
- AI facial analysis used in 60% of clinics for procedure planning in 2023
- Regenerative medicine like stem cell facelifts up 25% in 2022
South Korea’s cosmetic surgery boom is accelerating, with booming demand, major market value, and record per capita procedures.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Revenue20 stats
01
In 2021, South Korea's plastic surgery market was valued at 13.5 trillion KRW (about $10.6 billion USD)
02
Projected growth of South Korea's cosmetic surgery market to reach 15.2 trillion KRW by 2025, CAGR 3.1%
03
Gangnam district clinics generated 70% of Seoul's plastic surgery revenue in 2022, over 9 trillion KRW
04
Average revenue per plastic surgery clinic in South Korea was 2.8 billion KRW in 2022
05
Non-surgical procedures contributed 45% to total market revenue in 2022, valued at 6.1 trillion KRW
06
Medical tourism for plastic surgery generated $1.2 billion USD in revenue for South Korea in 2019 pre-COVID
07
Plastic surgery exports (procedures for foreigners) valued at 500 billion KRW in 2023
08
Premium clinics in Apgujeong saw 20% revenue increase in 2023 due to high-end procedures
09
Thread lift market segment grew to 1.2 trillion KRW in 2022
10
Overall beauty industry revenue hit 20 trillion KRW in 2022, with plastic surgery 65% share
11
Plastic surgery market expected to grow at 5.2% CAGR to 2028, reaching $12.5 billion
12
Injectables market size 4.5 trillion KRW in 2023
13
Seoul plastic surgery revenue 11 trillion KRW in 2022
14
Per capita spending on cosmetic procedures $200annually, highest world
15
Chinese tourists spent 300 billion KRW on surgery in 2023
16
Laser treatment revenue 2.8 trillion KRW
17
Post-COVID recovery boosted market 18% in 2022
18
Anti-aging segment 55% of revenue
19
Market size for facial aesthetics 7 trillion KRW 2023
20
Rhinoplasty premium segment 1.5 trillion KRW
Interpretation
Market Revenue Interpretation
With the South Korea plastic surgery market at 13.5 trillion KRW in 2021 and projected to climb to 15.2 trillion KRW by 2025 at a 3.1% CAGR, the market revenue story is increasingly driven by where clinics earn most and by the shift to non-surgical work, since non-surgical procedures made up 45% of the 2022 total market at 6.1 trillion KRW.
02 · Category
Patient Demographics18 stats
01
25-29 year old women underwent 35% of all procedures in 2022
02
Females comprised 92.5% of plastic surgery patients in South Korea in 2022
03
18-24 year olds made up 28% of patients, mostly eyelid surgeries
04
High school graduates (pre-college) account for 15% of procedures annually
05
Foreign patients were 12% of total in 2019, mostly Chinese at 60%
06
Male patients increased to 8% in 2022, up from 5% in 2015
07
Patients from Middle East rose 25% in 2023, seeking rhinoplasty
08
Average age for first procedure is 23 years among Korean women
09
40% of women in their 20s have had cosmetic procedures, per 2022 survey
10
30-39 year olds 32% of patients
11
Urban residents 85% of patients vs rural
12
Japanese patients 15% of foreigners
13
50% of procedures financed via loans or installments
14
University students 20% of clientele
15
Southeast Asians 18% rise in patients 2023
16
Repeat patients 35% within 2 years
17
20-24 year olds eyelid surgery 40% share
18
Russians 5% of foreign patients post-2022
03 · Category
Procedure Volumes22 stats
01
In 2022, South Korea performed 1,233,000 surgical and non-surgical aesthetic procedures, ranking first globally per capita with 23.5 procedures per 1,000 people
02
Double eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) accounted for 21.6% of all procedures in South Korea in 2022, totaling approximately 266,000 cases
03
Rhinoplasty procedures in South Korea reached 92,000 in 2022, representing 7.5% of total aesthetic surgeries
04
Liposuction surgeries numbered 85,000 in South Korea in 2022, making up 6.9% of procedures
05
Breast augmentation procedures totaled 72,000 in 2022 in South Korea, accounting for 5.8% of all surgeries
06
Facelifts in South Korea were performed 15,000 times in 2022, 1.2% of total procedures
07
Botox injections reached 450,000 sessions in South Korea in 2022, 36.5% of non-surgical procedures
08
Hyaluronic acid filler treatments numbered 380,000 in 2022, 30.8% of injectables
09
Non-surgical fat reduction procedures like CoolSculpting totaled 25,000 in South Korea in 2022
10
Laser skin resurfacing procedures reached 110,000 in 2022, popular for pigmentation issues
11
In 2022, South Korea performed 980,000 surgical procedures alone
12
Fat grafting procedures totaled 68,000 in 2022
13
Hair transplantation reached 22,000 cases
14
Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) at 12,000 procedures in 2022
15
Buttock augmentation 8,000 cases
16
Chemical peels 95,000 sessions
17
Microneedling 75,000 treatments in 2022
18
Jaw shaving procedures 45,000 in 2022
19
Otoplasty ear correction 5,000 cases
20
Vaser lipo advanced 30,000 procedures
21
Eyelid ptosis correction 18,000
22
Skin boosters like Rejuran 120,000 injections
More related reading
04 · Category
Surgeon And Clinic Data15 stats
01
There are over 50,000 board-certified plastic surgeons in South Korea as of 2023
02
Seoul has 2,300 plastic surgery clinics, 75% in Gangnam
03
Average surgeon performs 1,200 procedures per year, highest globally
04
600 new clinics opened in 2022 despite saturation
05
Top 10 clinics perform 30% of all procedures
06
Surgeon density is 12.5 per 10,000 people, world highest
07
80% of clinics offer bundled packages with hotels
08
Illegal clinics closed: 150 in 2022 by authorities
09
Over 6,000 plastic surgery clinics nationwide in 2023
10
Gangnam clinics average 150 procedures/month
11
Female surgeons 25% of total
12
Certification rate 92% for KSAPS members
13
Clinic saturation led to 10% closure rate 2022
14
Multilingual staff in 70% international clinics
15
Surgeons trained abroad 35%
Interpretation
Surgeon And Clinic Data Interpretation
As of 2023 South Korea has over 50,000 board-certified plastic surgeons and 12.5 surgeons per 10,000 people which is the world highest, and the concentration in Seoul with 2,300 clinics and 75% in Gangnam helps explain why surgeons average 1,200 procedures per year while even with saturation 600 new clinics opened in 2022 and the top 10 clinics still account for 30% of all procedures.
05 · Category
Trends And Innovations13 stats
01
PDO thread lifts increased 40% from 2021-2023
02
AI facial analysis used in 60% of clinics for procedure planning in 2023
03
Regenerative medicine like stem cell facelifts up 25% in 2022
04
Jaw botox for V-line face popular, 150,000 cases in 2022
05
Eco-friendly fillers from bio-materials launched in 2023, 10% market share
06
Virtual reality consultations adopted by 40% clinics post-COVID
07
Double jaw surgery trend declined 15% due to risks awareness
08
HIFU ultrasound treatments up 50% since 2020
09
Personalized 3D printing for implants in 20% top clinics
10
Natural look trend boosted zygoma reduction 12%
11
Male gynecomastia surgery doubled since 2018
12
Blockchain for patient records piloted in 15 clinics
13
Vegan filler alternatives gained 8% market
Interpretation
Trends And Innovations Interpretation
South Korea’s plastic surgery is rapidly modernizing, with innovations like PDO thread lifts rising 40% from 2021 to 2023 and AI facial analysis driving procedure planning in 60% of clinics by 2023.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). South Korea Plastic Surgery Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/south-korea-plastic-surgery-statistics
MLA
Diana Reeves. "South Korea Plastic Surgery Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/south-korea-plastic-surgery-statistics.
Chicago
Diana Reeves. 2026. "South Korea Plastic Surgery Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/south-korea-plastic-surgery-statistics.
Sources & references
15 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level