Peer-reviewed article
Economic burden of female genital mutilation in 27 high-prevalence countries
David Tordrup, Chrissy Bishop, Nathan Green, Max Petzold, Fernando Ruiz Vallejo et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001Female genital mutilation (FGM) affects 200 million women and girls globally and creates substantial health and economic costs. This study modelled the economic burden of FGM in 27 high-prevalence countries over 30 years, projecting that cases will rise from 119.4 million in 2018 to 205.8 million in 2047 without intervention. The current annual economic burden is US$1.4 billion, rising to US$2.1 billion by 2047, driven by treatment costs for acute complications, urogenital and obstetric problems, and psychological harm. Full abandonment of FGM could reduce cases to 80 million by 2047 and limit the burden to US$0.8 billion annually, demonstrating that prevention is economically justified.
Key points
- FGM affects 200 million women and girls globally with both immediate and long-term health complications
- Prevalent FGM cases in 27 high-burden countries projected to increase from 119.4 million (2018) to 205.8 million (2047) without intervention
- Current annual economic burden is US$1.4 billion, rising to US$2.1 billion by 2047 due to treatment costs
- Full abandonment could reduce cases to 80 million and limit annual costs to US$0.8 billion by 2047
- Decreasing trends are observed in some countries but are variable and not consistently observed across all settings
Limitations
The study models projected outcomes based on cohort models and does not evaluate the effectiveness of specific interventions to achieve abandonment. The document does not specify which 27 countries were included in the analysis, making it difficult to assess generalisability beyond high-prevalence settings.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a traditional harmful practice affecting 200 million women and girls globally. Health complications of FGM occur immediately and over time, and are associated with healthcare costs that are poorly understood. Quantifying the global FGM-related burden is essential for supporting programmes and policies for prevention and mitigation. METHODS: Health complications of FGM are derived from a meta-analysis and stratified by acute, uro-gynaecological, obstetric and psychological/sexual. Treatment costs are calculated from national cohort models of 27 high-burden countries over 30 years. Savings associated with full/partial abandonment are compared with a current incidence reference scenario, assuming no changes in FGM practices. RESULTS: Our model projects an increasing burden of FGM due to population growth. As a reference scenario assuming no change in practices, prevalent cases in 27 countries will rise from 119.4 million (2018) to 205.8 million (2047). Full abandonment could reduce this to 80.0 million (2047), while partial abandonment is insufficient to reduce cases. Current incidence economic burden is US$1.4 billion/year, rising to US$2.1 billion/year in 2047. Full abandonment would reduce the future burden to US$0.8 billion/year by 2047. CONCLUSION: FGM is a human rights violation, a public health issue and a substantial economic burden that can be avoided through effective prevention strategies. While decreasing trends are observed in some countries, these trends are variable and not consistently observed across settings. Additional resources are needed to prevent FGM to avoid human suffering and growing costs. The findings of this study warrant increased political commitment and investment in the abandonment of FGM.