Where is FGM Practiced?

The WHO has documented female genital mutilation in 28 African countries.(1) FGM is practiced in several Asian, Middle Eastern, and South American countries as well, but the highest concentration is found on the African continent. The earliest recorded instance of female excision dates back to the fifth century B.C.E. in Egypt.(2) The practice appears to have spread along the slave trade routes east-west across the continent, but did not spread as widely in the south.(3)

Map: WHO. "FGM Prevalence in African Countries" In "Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation".

This map shows which countries practice FGM and the percentage of women who have undergone excision. Keep in mind that the percentage within countries depending on the area and the ethnic group located there.(4) For example, there may be places in Egypt (which has a 95% prevalence nation-wide) where very few women have been excised, but in the next city over, all the women have undergone FGM.

Notes:
1. WHO. "Eliminating Female Genitalia Mutilation". 4.
2. Chantal Zabus. Between Rites and Rights. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2007. 133
3. Zabus. Between Rites. 133.
4. WHO. "Eliminating Female...". 5.