prevalence of female genital mutilation prevalence of female genital mutilation female genital mutilation (fgm), also known as female genital cutting (fgc), female genital mutilation/cutting (fgm/c) and female circumcision, is practiced in 30 countries in western, eastern, and north-eastern africa, in parts of the middle east and asia, and within some immigrant communities in europe, north america and australia. the who defines the practice as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons." this article is about the percentage of the population that have undergone fgm. for laws concerning female genital mutilation, see female genital mutilation laws by country. map showing the % of women and girls aged 15–49 years (unless otherwise stated) who have undergone fgm/c according to the march 2020 global response report. in a 2013 unicef report covering 29 countries in africa and the middle east, egypt had the region's highest total number of women that have undergone fgm (27.2 million), while somalia had the highest percentage (prevalence) of fgm (98%). the world's first known campaign against fgm took place in egypt in the 1920s. fgm prevalence in egypt in 1995 was still at least as high as somalia's 2013 world record (98%), despite dropping significantly since then among young women. estimates of the prevalence of fgm vary according to source. classifications of fgm main article: female genital mutilation the who identifies four types of fgm: type i: removal of the clitoral hood, the skin around the clitoris (ia), with partial or complete removal of the clitoris (ib) type ii: removal of the labia minora (iia), with partial or complete removal of the clitoris (iib) and the labia majora (iic) type iii: removal of all or part of the labia minora (iiia) and labia majora (iiib), complete removal of the clitoris, and the stitching of a seal across the vagina, leaving a small opening for the passage of urine and menstrual blood (infibulation) type iv: other miscellaneous acts, might or might not include cauterization of the clitoris, cutting of the vagina (gishiri cutting), and introducing corrosive substances into the vagina to tighten it (extreme and rare cases) prevalence prevalence of fgm in africa cca. the year of 2000 the term "prevalence" is used to describe the proportion of women and girls now living in a country who have undergone fgm at some stage in their lives. this is distinct from the "incidence" of fgm which describes the proportion of women and girls who have undergone the procedure within a particular time period, which could be contemporary or historical. fgm is practiced in some but not all african countries, the middle east, indonesia and malaysia, as well as some migrants in europe, united states and australia. it is also seen in some populations of south asia. the highest known prevalence rates are in 30 african countries, in a band that stretches from senegal in west africa to ethiopia on the east coast, as well as from egypt in the north to tanzania in the south. in a 2013 unicef report based on surveys completed by select countries, fgm is known to be prevalent in 27 african countries, yemen and iraqi kurdistan, where 125 million women and girls have undergone fgm. the unicef report notes fgm is found in countries beyond the 29 countries it covered, and the total worldwide number is unknown. other reports claim the prevalence of fgm in countries not discussed by the 2013 unicef report. the practice occurs in jordan, iraq, syria, oman, united arab emirates and qatar. earlier reports claimed the prevalence of fgm in israel among the negev bedouin, which by 2009 has virtually disappeared. as a result of immigration, fgm has also spread to europe, australia, and the united states, with some families having their daughters undergo the procedure while on vacation overseas . as western governments become more aware of fgm, legislation has come into effect in many countries to make the practice a criminal offense. in 2006, khalid adem became the first man in the united states to be prosecuted for mutilating his daughter. the united nations has called for elimination of the practice by 2030. a 2017 ucla fielding school of public health study, measuring trends in the prevalence of fgm over the course of three decades, found that they dropped significantly in 17 of the 22 countries surveyed. the researchers found a 2–8 percentage points increase in chad, mali and sierra leone during the 30-years period. data reliability much of the fgm prevalence data currently available is based on verbal surveys and self-reporting. clinical examinations are uncommon. the assumption is that women respond truthfully when asked about their fgm status and that they know the type and extent of fgm that was performed on their genitalia. many fgm procedures are performed at a very young age, many cultures feel a taboo about such discussions, and a number of such factors raise the possibility that the validity of survey responses might be incorrect, potentially underreported. in oman, for example, some do not wish to discuss fgm from the fear that such discussion is showing their culture's dirty laundry to the world, causing criticism of a practice that they believe is purely religious. in countries where fgm has been outlawed, fear of prosecution of family members or self, and social disapproval from elders may cause women to deny that they underwent or were subjected to fgm. for example, the self-reported circumcision status of women aged 15–49 was verbally surveyed in 1995 in northern ghana. the same women were interviewed again in 2000 after the enactment of a law that criminalized fgm and ghana-wide public campaigns against the practice. this study discovered that 13% of women who reported in 1995 that they had undergone fgm denied it in the 2000 interview, with youngest age group girls denying at rates as high as 50%. unicef has revised its data on the fgm prevalence rates in the kurdistan region of the middle east: where is fgm/c practiced? there are reports, but no clear evidence, of a limited incidence in (..) certain kurdish communities in iraq.— unicef (2005), female genital mutilation or cutting (fgm/c): 1 in 2 young girls (15–24) has experienced fgm/c when they were younger in erbil and sulaymaniyah governorates (kurdistan region).— unicef (2011), africa prevalence of fgm in women aged 15–49 years in 29 countries in which the practice is concentrated, 2014 prevalence of fgm in girls aged 0–14 years in 29 countries in which the practice is concentrated, 2014 2016 fgm prevalence in africa and the middle east in women aged 15–49 according to the unicef 2016 report. most countries show a relative decrease compared to 2013. in july 2003, at its second summit, the african union adopted the maputo protocol promoting women's rights and calling for an end to fgm. the agreement came into force in november 2005, and by december 2008, 25 member countries had ratified it. as of 2013, according to a unicef report, 24 african countries have legislations or decrees against fgm/c practice; these countries are: benin, burkina faso, central african republic, chad, côte d'ivoire, djibouti, egypt, eritrea, ethiopia, ghana, guinea, guinea-bissau, kenya, mauritania, niger, nigeria (since 2015), senegal, somalia, sudan (some states), tanzania, togo and uganda (see page 9 of the report) and zambia and south africa (see page 8). in 2015, gambia's president yahya jammeh banned fgm. in 2014 the girl generation, an african-led campaign to oppose fgm worldwide, was launched. general although estimates of the prevalence of fgm vary, sources have consistently found the practice to be undergone by the majority of women in the horn of africa, in the west african countries of guinea, sierra leone, gambia, mauritania, mali and burkina faso, as well as in sudan and egypt. of these countries, all have laws or decrees against the practice, with the exception of sierra leone, mali and some states of sudan. infibulation infibulation, the most extreme form of fgm, known also as type iii, is practiced primarily in countries located in northeastern africa. the practice is the removal of the inner and outer labia, and the suturing of the vulva. it is mostly practiced in northeastern africa, particularly djibouti, eritrea, ethiopia, somalia and sudan. the procedure leaves a wall of skin and flesh across the vagina and the rest of the pubic area. by inserting a twig or similar object before the wound heals, a small hole is created for the passage of urine and menstrual blood. the procedure is usually accompanied by the removal of the clitoral glans. the legs are bound together for two to four weeks(up to 40 days) to allow healing. the vagina is usually penetrated at the time of a woman's marriage by her husband's penis, or by cutting the tissue with a knife. the vagina is opened further for childbirth, and usually closed again afterwards, a process known as defibulation (or deinfibulation) and reinfibulation. infibulation can cause chronic pain and infection, organ damage, prolonged micturition, urinary incontinence, inability to get pregnant, difficulty giving birth, obstetric fistula and fatal bleeding. algeria fgm is not generally practiced in algeria, but is present among immigrants in south algeria, particularly among sub-saharan african migrants. it is considered a criminal offense and is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. benin female genital mutilation is present in benin. according to a 2011–12 survey, 7.3% of the women in benin have been subjected to fgm. this is a decline over the 2001 survey, which reported 16.8%. as of 2018, unicef's latest data, from 2014, confirms only 0.2% of benin girls aged 0 to 14 had been subjected to fgm, while 9% of females aged 15 to 49 had so. the prevalence varies with religion in benin; fgm is prevalent in 49% of muslim women. the prevalence in other groups is lower, 3% of traditional religions, 3% of roman catholic and 1% in other christian women. a 2003 law bans all forms of fgm. according to unicef, benin experienced the most dramatic decline in low prevalence countries, from 8% in 2006 to 2% in 2012, a 75% decline. burkina faso the unfpa gives a prevalence of 76% for the year of 2021(women aged from 15 to 49) in burkina faso. a 1998 survey reported a lower rate of 72%. this was not considered as evidence of an increase in the practice, but as reflecting the worldwide fact that better and more information is increasingly available on fgm. as of 2018, unicef's latest data, from 2010, confirms only 13% of girls aged 0 to 14 had been subjected to fgm, while 76% of females aged 15 to 49 had so. the prevalence varies with religion in burkina faso. fgm is prevalent in 82% of muslim women, 73% of traditional religions, 66% of roman catholics and 60% of protestants. in a 2011 study on a wide range of variables, fgm prevalence characteristics in burkina faso was found to be strongly associated with religion, and age being the other important variable. a law prohibiting fgm was enacted in 1996 and went into effect in february 1997. even before this law a presidential decree had set up the national committee against excision and imposed fines on people guilty of excising girls and women. the new law includes stricter punishment. several women excising girls have been handed prison sentences. burkina faso ratified the maputo protocol in 2006. cameroon female genital mutilation is rare in cameroon, being concentrated in the far north and the southwest of the country. in a 2004 study, the fgm prevalence rate was 1.4%. even though national rate is low, there are regions with high prevalence rate. in extreme north cameroon, the prevalence rate is 13% for the fulbe people and people of arab descent. the prevalence varies with religion; fgm is prevalent in 6% of muslim women, less than 1% of christians, and 0% for animist women. cameroon's national penal code does not classify genital mutilation as a criminal offence. article 277 criminalizes aggravated assault, including aggravated assault to organs. a draft law has been pending for over 10 years. central african republic who gives the prevalence of fgm in central african republic at 24.2% in 2010. a survey from 2000 found fgm was prevalent