Walk through a beach town in Europe or a city centre in the Americas, and you’ll see how ordinary visible ink has become. Sleeves, ankle script and shoulder pieces barely get a second glance now. Still, the share of people who wear tattoos changes a lot from one country to the next.
The most widely cited comparison comes from a 2018 Dalia Research survey, and it remains the reference point in most rankings. Later roundups have mostly repeated its figures. The ten countries below follow that data, with context on what each place’s tattoo culture looks like.
1. Italy
With nearly half of its residents sporting at least one tattoo, Italy is the most tattooed country in the world.[1] The figure behind that claim is about forty eight percent of the population. Rome has more tattooists than any other province, followed by Milan and Turin.[1]
Italians have an unusual habit, too. Italians are more likely to have just one tattoo, while Americans and Swedes tend to have several.[2] More women than men have tattoos in Italy, which runs against the pattern in many other countries.[1]
2. Sweden
Sweden sits right behind Italy. Roughly forty seven percent of adults there have tattoos.[3] That makes it one of the very few countries where the gap to first place is a single percentage point.
Swedish tattoo culture often points back to the Viking era. An Arab diplomat named Ibn Fadlan wrote in 921 AD that the Rus Vikings were tattooed from fingertips to neck.[4] Whether modern Swedes are really following that tradition is debatable, but the link is a popular one.
3. United States
About forty six percent of American adults have tattoos, which puts the United States third on the global list.[3] It is the largest country in the top three by far, so the raw number of inked people is enormous. Few other places can match that scale.
The variety is just as notable. Few countries have a tattoo culture as diverse, shaped by decades of immigration, regional influences and changing social attitudes.[3] Traditional American flash, Chicano linework, Japanese inspired work and fine line minimalism all have a place in the same city.
4. Australia
Forty three percent of Australians are tattooed.[1] That puts the country fourth, level with Argentina in the survey results. The two share a tie despite being on opposite sides of the world.
The survey didn’t offer a neat explanation for Australia’s position, and it would be a stretch to invent one. What the number shows is that more than four in ten adults there carry some kind of ink. That makes a tattoo an ordinary feature of everyday life rather than a statement.
5. Argentina
Argentina matches Australia at about forty three percent. It’s the only South American country to place this high in the top five. Brazil follows further down the list.
The result is a reminder that tattoo popularity doesn’t follow income or climate in any simple way. The survey polled nearly ten thousand people across countries on several continents, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil and Canada.[2] Argentina came out near the top of that wide field.
6. Spain
Spain is home to a growing tattoo community, with forty two percent of its population wearing body art.[5] That’s only slightly behind Argentina and Australia. It also places Spain ahead of most of Western Europe.
Other European nations with high rates of tattooing include Spain, Denmark, the United Kingdom and France, with figures ranging from the mid thirties to the high forties.[6] Spain fits comfortably in that group. The numbers suggest a fairly even spread of tattoo acceptance across southern and northern Europe.
7. Denmark
Denmark records roughly forty one percent. That puts it just behind Spain, with the survey listing both countries only a point apart.[1] It’s the smallest country in this top ten by population, which makes the result stand out.
Together with Sweden, Denmark gives Scandinavia a strong showing. Two of the first seven spots go to Nordic countries. The pattern fits a region where body art is widely accepted in everyday settings.
8. United Kingdom
About forty percent of people in the United Kingdom have at least one tattoo, according to the ranking figures. The UK takes eighth place on the list, just behind Denmark.[1] Brazil follows directly after.
The ranking reflects a country where ink crosses age and class lines more than it once did. Even so, the survey measures only whether someone has a tattoo, not how many or how large. A person with one small design counts the same as someone with a full sleeve.
9. Brazil
Brazil and France round out the list of countries with significant tattoo populations, with thirty seven percent and thirty six percent of citizens respectively sporting body art.[5] Brazil lands ninth, with more than a third of its people inked. It is the second South American country in the top ten.
The survey also looked at age. Around the world, roughly one third of people between fourteen and twenty nine have tattoos.[7] Nearly three quarters of those who have been inked report no regrets.[7]
10. France
France closes out the top ten at about thirty six percent. That’s still more than one in three people. The gap between France and first place is large, yet the figure is far from small.
Looking at the bottom of the surveyed group helps put it in context. Israel and Turkey made up the lowest part of the countries surveyed, with about twenty five percent and thirty percent respectively having at least one tattoo.[2] Tattoos also still carry significant stigma in places such as Japan and Iran.[1]
About the Data Behind This Ranking
The survey behind these figures was conducted in April 2018 and polled nearly ten thousand people.[2] Tattoo rates can vary between studies, but the Dalia Research survey is the one that places Italy first, with forty eight percent of the population holding at least one tattoo.[1] I couldn’t find a newer global survey that compares as many countries in the same way.
Because the sample covers a limited set of countries, places that weren’t surveyed can’t be ranked against these ten. The percentages count adults with at least one tattoo, not the total number of tattoos. Anyone planning a trip around ink should treat the list as a snapshot of how common tattoos are, not a guide to which country has the best artists.
