PREVALENCE OF FGM
Between 100 and 140 million girls and women worldwide have been subjected to one of the first three types of female genital mutilation. Estimates based on the most recent prevalence data indicate that 91,5 million girls and women above 9 years old in Africa are currently living with the consequences of female genital mutilation. There are an estimated 3 million girls in Africa at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation every year. Types I, II and III female genital mutilation have been documented in 28 countries in Africa and in a few countries in Asia and the Middle East.
Did you know that FGM is practised in the United States?
Some forms of female genital mutilation have also been reported from other countries, including among certain ethnic groups in Central and South America. Growing migration has increased the number of girls and women living outside their country of origin who have undergone female genital mutilation or who may be at risk of being subjected to the practice. The prevalence of female genital mutilation has been estimated from large-scale, national surveys asking women aged 15–49 years if they have themselves been cut. The prevalence varies considerably, both between and within regions and countries (see Figures and Table below), with ethnicity as the most decisive factor. In seven countries the national prevalence is almost universal, (more than 85%); four countries have high prevalence (60–85%); medium prevalence (30–40%) is found in seven countries, and low prevalence, ranging from 0.6% to 28.2%, is found in the remaining nine countries. However, national averages (see Table) hide the often marked variation in prevalence in different parts of most countries (see Figures).
Listed below are countries in which female genital mutilation of Types I, II, III and "nicking" Type IV has been documented as a traditional practice. For countries without an asterisk the prevalence is derived from national survey data (the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) published by Macro, or the Multiple Cluster Indicator Surveys (MICS), published by UNICEF).
| Country |
Year |
Estimated prevalence of
female genital mutilation
in girls and women
15 – 49 years (%) |
| Benin |
2001
|
16.8 |
| Burkina Faso |
2005
|
72.5 |
| Cameroon |
2004 |
1.4 |
| Central African Republic |
2005 |
25.7 |
| Chad |
2004 |
44.9 |
| Côte d’Ivoire |
2005 |
41.7 |
| Djibouti |
2006 |
93.1 |
| Egypt |
2005 |
95.8 |
| Eritrea |
2002 |
88.7 |
| Ethiopia |
2002 |
74.3 |
| Gambia |
2005 |
78.3 |
| Ghana |
2005 |
3.8 |
| Guinea |
2005 |
95.6 |
| Guinea-Bissau |
2005 |
44.5 |
| Kenya |
2003 |
32.2 |
| Liberia* |
|
45.0 |
| Mali |
2001 |
91.6 |
| Mauritania |
2001 |
71.3 |
| Niger |
2006 |
2.2 |
| Nigeria |
2003 |
19.0 |
| Senegal |
2005 |
28.2 |
| Somalia |
2005 |
97.9
|
Sudan, northern
(approximately 80% of total population in survey) |
2000 |
90.0
|
| Togo |
2005 |
5.8
|
| Uganda |
2006 |
0.6
|
| United Republic of Tanzania |
2004
|
14.6
|
| Yemen |
2004 |
22.6
|
* The estimate is derived from a variety of local and sub-national studies.
Source: Female genital mutilation/cutting : a statistical exploration. New York, NY, UNICEF; 2005