Although technically a rare disease, CF is ranked as one of the most widespread life-shortening genetic diseases. It is most common among nations in the Western world. An exception is Finland, where only one in 80 people carries a CF mutation. The World Health Organization states, "In the European Union, one in 2000–3000 newborns is found to be affected by CF". In the United States, one in 3,500 children is born with CF. In 1997, about one in 3,300 white children in the United States was born with CF. In contrast, only one in 15,000 African American children suffered from it, and in Asian Americans, the rate was even lower at one in 32,000.