WhenIn half of the countries, the majority of girls were cut

before age 5. In the rest of the countries, most cutting occurs between 5 and 14

years of age

hoWAcross a majority of

countries, most daughters have had their genitalia cut, with some flesh

removed

By WhomIn nearly all countries

where FGM/C is concentrated, traditional

practitioners perform most of the procedures

WhySocial acceptance is

the most frequently cited reason for supporting the

continuation of the practice

In most countries where FGm/C is practised, the majority of

girls and women think it should end

Uganda

Cameroon

Niger

Togo

Ghana

Iraq

Benin

United Republic of Tanzania

Yemen

Central African Republic

Senegal

Nigeria

Kenya

Côte d'Ivoire

Chad

Guinea-Bissau

Liberia

Mauritania

Ethiopia

Egypt

Djibouti

Guinea

Somalia

1%

1%

2%

4%

4%

8%

13%

15%

23%

24%

26%

27%

27%

38%

44%

50%

66%

69%

74%

Gambia76%

Burkina Faso76%

Sierra Leone88%

Mali89%

Sudan88%

Eritrea89%

91%

93%

96%

98%

29 countries, more than 125 million girls and women

Sierra Leone

Egypt

Guinea-Bissau

Côte d'Ivoire

Ghana

Benin 93%

93%

Togo 89%

Niger 89%

Iraq 88%

United Republic of Tanzania 92%

Cameroon 84%

Uganda 83%

Burkina Faso 90%

Kenya 86%

Central African Republic 75%

Senegal 79%

69%

Nigeria 62%

Ethiopia 63%

56%

Djibouti 51%

Chad 36%

Mauritania 53%

Sudan 53%

Liberia 46%

Eritrea 49%

35%

Gambia 28%

Somalia 33%

26%

Guinea 19%

Mali 20%

Yemen 48%

Egypt

Ethiopia

Nigeria

Sudan

Kenya andBurkina Faso

Mali and United Republic of Tanzania

Guinea and Somalia

Côte d'Ivoire and Yemen

Chad and Iraq

Eritrea and Sierra Leone

Senegal, Mauritania and Niger

Gambia, Ghana and Central African Republic

Guinea-Bissau, Djibouti,Uganda and Togo

Liberia, Cameroon and Benin

27.2 million

919,000

23.8 million

19.9 million

12.1 million

9.3 million

7.9 million

6.5 million

5.0 million

3.8 million

2.7 million

3.5 million

3.4 million

1.3 million

yemen In 97% of cases, girls underwent

the procedure in their homes and 75% of

them were cut using a blade or razor

nIGer55% of Christian girls and women have undergone

FGM/C, compared to 2% of Muslim girls and women

IraqFGM/C is

concentrated in the

regions of Erbil and

Sulaymaniyah

UGanda9% of girls and

women support the continuation

of FGM/C, even though national

prevalence is only 1%

GhanaIn the highest prevalence

region (Upper West), 60% of women aged

45 to 49 have undergone FGM/C compared to 16%

of girls aged 15 to 19

ToGo21% of Muslim

girls and women have undergone

FGM/C, compared to 1% of Christian girls and women

Cameroon85% of

boys and men think

that FGM/C should not

be continued

Chad 27% of

boys and men think FGM/C is required

by religion

CôTe d’IvoIre41% of girls and women

of Voltaique/Gur background support the continuation of FGM/C, compared to only 3% of Akan girls and women

nIGerIa35% of boys and men and 31% of girls and women report that

they do not know what the opposite sex thinks

about FGM/C

BenIn 72% of Peulh girls and women have

undergone FGM/C, compared to 0% of girls and women of

Adja and Fon ethnicity

SeneGalFGM/C prevalence among Wolof girls and women ranges from a low of 0% in

Diourbel to 35% in Matam

eGypT 77% of girls who have

undergone FGM/C were

cut by a medical professional

malI58% of girls who

have been cut are daughters

of mothers who oppose the practice

maUrITanIa On average,

girls are cut when they are

just 1 month old

GUInea19% of girls and

women think FGM/C should

stop, compared to 42% of boys

and men

GamBIa82% of girls and women

who have undergone FGM/C think the practice

should continue, compared to 5% of girls and women

who have not been cut

SIerra leone

51% of couples do not agree on whether

FGM/C should continue or end

SUdan Girls and women with no education are nearly four

times more likely to support the continuation of FGM/C than girls and women with

secondary or higher education

erITrea60% of girls and women

regard FGM/C as a religious

requirement

eThIopIa 41% of girls and women

with no education support the continuation of FGM/C

compared to 5% of girls and women with secondary

or higher education

lIBerIaGirls and women from

the poorest households are twice as likely

to have experienced FGM/C as those from

the richest households

djIBoUTI62% of

cut girls underwent

the procedure between the

ages of 5 and 9

GUInea-BISSaU18% of

cut girls underwent

the procedure after age 15

BUrkIna FaSo 76% of girls and

women have been cut, but only

9% favour the continuation

of FGM/C

SomalIa63% of girls

who underwent FGM/C

had their genitalia sewn

closed

kenya59% of girls and women

who have been cut do not see any benefit to the practice

UnITed repUBlIC oF TanzanIaWomen aged 45 to 49

are approximately three times more

likely to have been cut than girls aged 15 to 19

CenTral aFrICan repUBlIC 52% of cut girls

experienced FGM/C

between the ages of 10 and 14

number of girls and women who haveundergoneFGm/C

Above 80%51% - 80%26% - 50%10% - 25%Less than 10%FGM/C is not concentratedin these countries

This map is stylized and not to scale. It does not reflect a position by UNICEF on the legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers. The final boundary between the Republic of the Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan has not yet been determined.

FGm/C is concentrated in a swath of countries from the atlantic Coast to the horn of africa, with wide variations in the percentage of girls and women cut, both within and across countries