Sweden

10,019,351

0.72%

Number of girls and women affected

There are no national statistics on FGC in Sweden. The practice is not indigenous to the country, however FGC has been known to continue within some diaspora, refugee and immigrant populations.

Type practised

The type of FGC practised by communities in Sweden is likely to be varied, depending on the traditions surrounding the practice within their ethnic group/country of heritage.

Age

The average age at which girls living in Sweden have undergone FGC is unknown. Girls at risk may undergo FGC from birth, approximately up until the age of 16, depending on the traditional age of cutting within a specific ethnic group.

Agent

Varied. Girls living in Sweden may be at risk of undergoing the practice within the country, or overseas. This could be carried out by a medical practitioner, or by a traditional cutter.

Legal status

FGC has been illegal in Sweden since 1982. In 1999, it also became illegal to take a girl overseas to undergo the practice.

National progress

• 1980s – Policy development on FGC began.
• 1982 – Law against the practice was introduced.
• 1992 – First tool to address FGC in Sweden was developed.
• 2003 – National action plan against FGC developed by Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.
• 2014 – Sweden first donated to the UNICEF-UNFPA Joint Programme on FGC.

Human Development Index ranking

7 in 2018 index, based on 2017 data.

Infant mortality rate

2.4 deaths per 1,000 live births (2016).

Maternal mortality rate

4 deaths per 100,000 live births (2015).

Source: Human Development Index

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