America has a reputation for plastic surgery and obesity, but South African women have the biggest backsides, research reveals.
Data collected by market research company GitNux detailed the average hip size for women in 17 countries, which usually corresponds to how big their buttocks are.
South Africa took the top spot, with an average hip size of 41.73 inches, followed by Argentina (41 inches) and – perhaps surprisingly – Sweden (40.9 inches).
The US failed to crack the top five, while the UK didn’t even make the list.
Brazil, long considered the world capital of big rear ends, was not included in the dataset.
Women in South Africa has the widest average hip size, suggesting a bigger rear end, according to data collected by GitNux
Kim Kardashian (left) and Cardi B are two examples of women celebrated for their curves
Argentina came in a close second at 41 inches on average. Its capital city, Buenos Aires, is seen as a world plastic surgery hub, including procedures such as BBLs.
Sweden had the third-largest hip size at 40.9 inches, despite the stereotype of its women being tall, thin, and blonde.
Greece and Germany rounded out the top five, with 40.74 and 40.6 inches, respectively.
Meanwhile, the US just barely failed to crack the top five, coming in at number six with 40.2 inches on average.
Indian women had the most slender hips at just 36.1 inches, which could be due to India having the second-lowest obesity rate out of nearly 200 countries.
The researchers did not provide reasons for why these countries ranked the way they did, though country data and studies show that obesity, plastic surgery data, and bone structure of the inhabitants could explain the rates.
Darcy Shapiro, an evolutionary anthropologist at Rutgers University, wrote for Massive Science that humans evolved to have larger backsides opposed to other mammals because we are the only ones who primarily walk on two legs.
Over time, research has found that bigger buttocks evolved as a desirable trait because they were a sign of a woman’s youth and fertility.
A study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, for example, found that spinal structure could have an impact on backside size. In the study, men were most attracted to images of women with a 45-degree curvature from their back to their buttocks.
Research suggests that men evolved to find women with larger backsides attractive because it suggested they were more youthful and fertile
‘This spinal structure would have enabled pregnant women to balance their weight over the hips,’ the team said. ‘These women would have been more effective at foraging during pregnancy and less likely to suffer spinal injuries.
‘In turn, men who preferred these women would have had mates who were better able to provide for fetus and offspring, and who would have been able to carry out multiple pregnancies without injury.’
A wide array of factors can influence how big a woman’s behind is, including bone density, genetics, diet, overall weight, and activity levels.
In South Africa, this could be due to 81.4 percent of the population being black. Some research has suggested that black women could have bigger bone structure than white women, though it is still widely debated.
Additionally, research published in the journal PeerJ found that more than 68 percent of women in South Africa are overweight or obese, which could lead to more fat around the rear end.
Argentina took second place for curviest women, with an average hip size of 41 inches.
Data from 2021 showed that Argentinian doctors performed nearly 400,000 plastic surgeries, making it the third-most popular Latin American country for cosmetic enhancements behind Mexico and Brazil.
It also has a large population of Indigenous and mixed race indigenous people, who are also more genetically likely to have steatopygia, a condition that causes excess fat and tissues around the buttocks and thighs.
According to census data, this group represents more than half of the Argentinian population.
Despite a reputation for more tall and slim bodies, Sweden had the third largest backsides.
However, according to the Public Health Agency of Sweden, about 50 percent of adults are overweight or obese, and the rate of obesity has increased steadily since 2004.
This could be due to only one in 10 Swedes eating fruits and vegetables five times a day, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Additionally, Swedish surgery site Nordiskt Centrum states that plastic surgery, which includes buttock enhancing procedures, has increased by 15 percent year over year.
The US had the sixth largest backsides, with an average hip size of 40.2 inches. In addition to America’s ever-expanding waistline, plastic surgery is exploding in popularity.
Roughly 26 million Americans now get some form of cosmetic surgery every year, up 19 percent from 2019 and 30 percent a decade ago.
Meanwhile, India took last place, with an average hip size of 36.1 inches. Weight could be a factor, as a report from Our World in Data found that India had the second-lowest at 19.7 percent, just behind Vietnam.
Research has also shown that Indian women have smaller bone structure than white or black women.
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