🔴 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL CSPII FGM INDEX 2025
CSPII’s comprehensive approach provides the most extensive global dataset on FGM to date, offering a clearer understanding of the scope and demographic patterns of the practice worldwide.
Main Findings:
- A new study by the Center for the Study of Political Islam International (CSPII) estimates that between 291 and 304 million women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). This figure is significantly higher than UNICEF’s 2024 estimate of 230 million. 304 million represents 1 in 13 girls/women alive today, and is the equivalent of approx. the entire female population of the USA, Canada, Mexico and Germany combined.
- Unlike UNICEF, which bases its data on 31 countries, CSPII’s survey includes numerical data from 77 countries, covering a far broader scope—including nations where FGM has recently emerged, such as those in Europe, North America, and Australia.
- 20 additional countries are identified where anecdotal evidence suggests FGM is practiced, though no numerical data is available. Of particular concern is Brunei, where indicators suggest a high FGM rate.
- 77 to 86 percent of global FGM cases are attributed to Islamic populations, while 14 to 23 percent occur in non-Islamic populations.
- Between 21.7% and 25.3% of Islamic females globally have undergone some form of FGM in comparison to 1.4% to 2.4% of non-Islamic females.
- Islamic doctrine supports FGM. Therefore, FGM practiced under the influence of Islamic doctrine should be considered as Islamic.
- The countries with the highest rates of FGM are 1. Somalia (with 99% of its female population having undergone FGM), 2. Indonesia (87%), 3. Guinea (84%), 4. Mali (81%) and 5. Oman (78%).
- The Western countries with the highest rates of FGM are 1. Sweden (with 1.3% of its female population having undergone FGM), 2. Norway (0.63%), 3. Switzerland (0.5%), 4. Canada (0.47%) and 5. the Netherlands (0.46%).
- The countries with the greatest numbers of FGM are 1. Indonesia (with 121 million girls/women having undergone FGM), 2. Egypt (35 million), 3. Ethiopia (29 million), 4. Sudan (15 million) and 5. Nigeria (14 million).
- The Western countries with the greatest numbers of FGM are 1. the USA (with over 500,000 girls/women having undergone FGM), 2. the UK (137,000), 3. France (125,000), 4. Germany (104,000) and 5. Canada (95,000).