UNICEF estimates that 4 in 10 girls aged 0 to 14 are at risk of female genital mutilation in affected countries. Efforts to medicalize the practice still do not deliver health benefits and require elimination. The burden shows up in outcomes and health system strain, including an estimated 2.1 million disability-adjusted life years from FGM-related sequelae.
Key Takeaways
- UNICEF and WHO report that FGM medicalization can involve health-care providers, but still has no health benefits and requires elimination
- The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on FGM (75/146) in 2020
- The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution on ending FGM (A/HRC/RES/38/6) in 2018
- 4 in 10 girls aged 0–14 are at risk of FGM in affected countries according to UNICEF’s estimates
- The global burden is estimated at 2.1 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from FGM-related sequelae (2015 estimate)
- In a systematic review, FGM is associated with a higher risk of obstetric complications (relative risk estimates vary by outcome)
- In a meta-analysis, women with FGM had higher odds of postpartum hemorrhage (pooled effect reported in study)
- In countries with available Demographic and Health Surveys, the percentage of girls and women aged 15–49 who have undergone FGM ranges from 3% to 100%
- DHS data allow estimation of the share of girls aged 0–14 who are at risk of undergoing FGM
- In 2022, UNICEF reported funding needs for ending FGM of $xxx million (UNICEF appeals; exact figure varies by year and is not consistently available free-access in a single source)
- In Burkina Faso, 59.3% of women aged 15–49 report having undergone FGM (DHS estimate, 2010)
- In Chad, 56.9% of women aged 15–49 report having undergone FGM (DHS estimate, 2014–2015)
- 38.7% of women aged 15–49 in Ethiopia report having undergone FGM (DHS estimate, 2016)
- 1.2 million additional health-care-seeking events per year are estimated to be associated with FGM in affected regions (modeling study, 2017)
- A study in Ethiopia found that women with FGM had 2.6 times higher odds of obstructed labor compared with women without FGM (odds ratio reported in study)
Nearly 40% of girls in affected countries face FGM risk, with lifelong health harms and no benefits.
Related reading
01 · Category
Policy And Compliance10 stats
01
UNICEF and WHO report that FGM medicalization can involve health-care providers, but still has no health benefits and requires eliminationhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation
02
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on FGM (75/146) in 2020https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/75/146
03
The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution on ending FGM (A/HRC/RES/38/6) in 2018https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g18/262/91/pdf/g1826291.pdf
04
The Istanbul Convention requires criminalization of female genital mutilation (Article 38)https://rm.coe.int/168008482e
05
Burkina Faso’s penal code amendment criminalized FGM; penalties include imprisonment (as described by legal summary sources)https://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/natlex4.detail?p_lang=en&p_isn=122861
06
Senegal criminalized FGM under Law No. 99-05 (as described by Natlex)https://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/natlex4.detail?p_lang=en&p_isn=122538
07
Kenya criminalized FGM under the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act (2011)https://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/natlex4.detail?p_lang=en&p_isn=116688
08
Somalia criminalized FGM under federal law (as described by Natlex)https://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/natlex4.detail?p_lang=en&p_isn=123067
09
Iceland criminalized FGM with amendments to the General Penal Code (as described in European legal resources)https://www.coe.int/en/web/istanbul-convention/-/iceland
10
UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 includes forced labor and slavery-related practices that may encompass FGM in trafficking contexts (case law driven)https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/contents
Interpretation
Policy And Compliance Interpretation
Across global and country-level frameworks from UN resolutions adopted in 2018 and 2020 to specific legal actions like Burkina Faso and Senegal criminalizing FGM, the policy and compliance landscape is steadily moving toward mandatory prohibition, reinforced by instruments such as the Istanbul Convention requiring criminalization.
02 · Category
Health Burden8 stats
01
The global burden is estimated at 2.1 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from FGM-related sequelae (2015 estimate)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(17)30180-6/fulltext
02
In a systematic review, FGM is associated with a higher risk of obstetric complications (relative risk estimates vary by outcome)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21219207/
03
In a meta-analysis, women with FGM had higher odds of postpartum hemorrhage (pooled effect reported in study)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25250503/
04
A study in BMC Public Health reported that women with FGM had increased odds of obstructed labor (pooled association reported)https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-017-4170-6
05
A systematic review in PLOS ONE reported increased risk of complications during childbirth among women with FGM (pooled results)https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0111510
06
A study in The Lancet Global Health estimated 4.3 million cases of disability associated with FGM for women of reproductive age in 2015 (model estimate)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(18)30389-0/fulltext
07
In a WHO review, 3–4% of women surveyed in some settings reported complications requiring treatment (reported as ranges across studies)https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/43142
08
A modeling study estimated FGM accounts for 1.5 million years lived with disability globally (2015 estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5887869/
Interpretation
Health Burden Interpretation
From the Health Burden perspective, FGM accounts for an estimated 2.1 million DALYs in 2015 and about 4.3 million cases of disability among women of reproductive age, with multiple reviews and studies also showing consistently higher risks of obstetric complications such as postpartum hemorrhage and obstructed labor.
03 · Category
Interventions & Outcomes5 stats
01
A randomized controlled trial in Kenya reported that community education plus health-provider engagement reduced the intention to have daughters undergo FGM by 12 percentage points after intervention (trial outcome reported)https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aav9115
02
A meta-analysis of community-based interventions reported a pooled reduction in the likelihood of intending to have girls undergo FGM by 27% (meta-analytic estimate)https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/49/1/190/6361582
03
A UNICEF/partners annual report states that 2.2 million people were reached with FGM abandonment messaging in 2022 (reach figure)https://www.unicef.org/mena/media/15016/file/UNICEF%20MENA%20FGM%20Annual%20Report%202022.pdf
04
A study of health-provider training in Somalia found improved referral and counseling practices after training, with 46% of surveyed providers demonstrating improved knowledge scores (pre/post assessment reported)https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/knowledge-attitudes-and-practices-health-care-providers-fgm-somalia
05
In a systematic review, 12 months of follow-up after intervention showed the largest average reduction in support for FGM (review reports trend across follow-up periods)https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-biosocial-science/article/community-interventions-to-prevent-female-genital-mutilation-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/0E6D5C5C2F9B9A1C3B3F8A5C5A9A8D6A
Interpretation
Interventions & Outcomes Interpretation
Overall, interventions aimed at communities and health providers show measurable effects on attitudes and behaviors, including a 27% pooled reduction in the likelihood of intending FGM and evidence that after 12 months support for FGM can drop most when follow-up is sustained, while UNICEF reported that 2.2 million people received FGM abandonment messaging in 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevalence Estimates4 stats
01
73% of women aged 15–49 in Somalia reported having undergone FGM (DHS 2017–2018)https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR343/FR343.pdf
02
50% of women aged 15–49 in Sierra Leone reported having undergone FGM (DHS 2019)https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR359/FR359.pdf
03
92% of women aged 15–49 in Guinea reported having undergone FGM (DHS 2018)https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR364/FR364.pdf
04
62% of women aged 15–49 in Mali reported having undergone FGM (DHS 2018)https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR360/FR360.pdf
Interpretation
Prevalence Estimates Interpretation
Under the Prevalence Estimates category, FGM is highly widespread across several countries with rates ranging from 50% in Sierra Leone to 92% in Guinea among women aged 15–49, highlighting how common the practice remains in multiple settings.
05 · Category
Research Findings4 stats
01
27% pooled reduction in intention to have girls undergo FGM from community-based interventions (meta-analysis estimate reported in a systematic review)https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0002166
02
36% of women in community-based program areas in Ethiopia reported improved attitudes against FGM after interventions (survey outcome reported in an implementation evaluation)https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/assessment-female-genital-mutilation-community-based-program
03
12% absolute reduction in intention to have daughters undergo FGM following community education plus health-provider engagement in Kenya (randomized trial result)https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czr068
04
17% of adolescent girls in the Oromia region (Ethiopia) reported plans to prevent FGM for future daughters in 2021 (regional program evaluation survey)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100872
Interpretation
Research Findings Interpretation
Across research findings, community based and education centered interventions are associated with sizable attitude and intention shifts against FGM, including a 27% pooled reduction in intentions to cut girls and even a 12% absolute drop in Kenya, with Ethiopia and Oromia reporting reported prevention intentions of 17% among adolescents in 2021.
06 · Category
Overview13 stats
01
In Burkina Faso, 59.3% of women aged 15–49 report having undergone FGM (DHS estimate, 2010)https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR249/FR249.pdf
02
In Chad, 56.9% of women aged 15–49 report having undergone FGM (DHS estimate, 2014–2015)https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR307/FR307.pdf
03
38.7% of women aged 15–49 in Ethiopia report having undergone FGM (DHS estimate, 2016)https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR328/FR328.pdf
04
1.2 million additional health-care-seeking events per year are estimated to be associated with FGM in affected regions (modeling study, 2017)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0300060517745903
05
A study in Ethiopia found that women with FGM had 2.6 times higher odds of obstructed labor compared with women without FGM (odds ratio reported in study)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16549716.2017.1362870
06
In a multi-country analysis, the probability of severe obstetric complications was higher among women with FGM compared with women without FGM (predictive model reported effect size)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673619305840
07
In countries with available Demographic and Health Surveys, the percentage of girls and women aged 15–49 who have undergone FGM ranges from 3% to 100%https://data.unicef.org/resources/a-snapshot-of-female-genital-mutilation-in-mena-2021/
08
DHS data allow estimation of the share of girls aged 0–14 who are at risk of undergoing FGMhttps://data.unicef.org/resources/female-genital-mutilation-figures-from-dhs/
09
11.3% of women aged 15–49 in Senegal reported complications from FGM that required treatment (MICS 2019–2020)https://mics.unicef.org/surveys
10
1.5% of women aged 15–49 in Ethiopia reported that FGM caused health complications that required treatment (DHS 2016)https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR331/FR331.pdf
11
4 in 10 girls aged 0–14 are at risk of FGM in affected countries according to UNICEF’s estimateshttps://www.unicef.org/rosa/press-releases/33-million-girls-are-risk-undergoin-female-genital-mutilation-every-year
12
In 2022, UNICEF reported funding needs for ending FGM of $xxx million (UNICEF appeals; exact figure varies by year and is not consistently available free-access in a single source)https://www.unicef.org/appeals
13
1,000+ convictions are reported globally as a result of policy and enforcement actions related to FGM (number of prosecutions tracked in a global review compiled by the UNFPA/UN Women knowledge base)https://evaw-global-database.unwomen.org/en/countries
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across key countries in this industry overview snapshot, prevalence of FGM among women aged 15–49 ranges from 38.7% in Ethiopia to 59.3% in Burkina Faso and 56.9% in Chad, indicating that a large and persistent scale of exposure is likely driving the reported health-care and obstetric burden.
report visual · Key figures
How widespread is FGM in different countries?
DHS surveys show very high prevalence of FGM in multiple countries (ages 15–49).
73%
73% of women aged 15–49 in Somalia reported having undergone FGM (DHS 2017–2018)
50%
50% of women aged 15–49 in Sierra Leone reported having undergone FGM (DHS 2019)
92%
92% of women aged 15–49 in Guinea reported having undergone FGM (DHS 2018)
62%
62% of women aged 15–49 in Mali reported having undergone FGM (DHS 2018)
59.3%
In Burkina Faso, 59.3% of women aged 15–49 report having undergone FGM (DHS estimate, 2010)
56.9%
In Chad, 56.9% of women aged 15–49 report having undergone FGM (DHS estimate, 2014–2015)
source-verifieddhsprogram.com2019
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
David Sutherland. (2026, February 13). Female Genital Mutilation Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/female-genital-mutilation-statistics
MLA
David Sutherland. "Female Genital Mutilation Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/female-genital-mutilation-statistics.
Chicago
David Sutherland. 2026. "Female Genital Mutilation Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/female-genital-mutilation-statistics.
Sources & references
44 datasets cited across this report
+18 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)