BACKGROUND: The first global survey of bariatric/metabolic surgery based on data from the nations or national groupings of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases (IFSO) was published in 1998, followed by reports in 2003, 2009, 2011, and 2012. In this survey, we report a global overview of worldwide bariatric surgery in 2013. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire evaluating the number and the type of bariatric procedure performed in 2013 was emailed to all members of bariatric societies belonging to IFSO. Trend analyses from 2003 to 2013 were also performed. RESULTS: There were 49/54 (90.7%) responders; 37 of the 49 with national registries. The total number of bariatric procedures performed worldwide in 2013 was 468,609, 95.7% carried out laparoscopically. The highest number (n = 154,276) was from the USA/Canada region. The most commonly performed procedure in the world was Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), 45%; followed by sleeve gastrectomy (SG), 37%; and adjustable gastric banding (AGB), 10%. Most significant were the rise in prevalence of SG from 0 to 37% of the world total from 2003 to 2013, and the fall in AGB of 68% from its peak in 2008 to 2013. CONCLUSIONS: SG is currently the most frequently performed procedure in the USA/Canada and in the Asia/Pacific regions, and second to RYGB in the Europe and Latin/South America regions. The accuracy of the IFSO-based world survey of procedures would be enhanced if each nation or national group would create a national registry.