Key Findings

The prevalence of FGM/C among ethnic Malay women is 93%.

Notions of harm and the medicalisation of FGC are at the core of the current societal debates on the practice in Malaysia. FGM/C is perceived by many Malay Muslims to be harmless and safe.

Place

The states with the highest prevalence are in the northwest with prevalence in Terengganu estimate at over 90%

Age

The overwhelming majority of girls are cut before the age of one, often before six months

Type

The types of FGC practised in the Malaysia region fall mostly into the WHO’s Types 1 and 4

Agent

The majority of cases are performed by healthcare professionals.

Distribution of FGM/C across Malaysia

There are no official data on FGC in Malaysia, nor on FGC in the Malay-Muslim communities in southern Thailand and Singapore. In the available literature, FGC prevalence appears to be between 86% and 99.3% in the female ethnic Malay community in Malaysia. Although no study to date represents prevalence in terms of population or geography and academic studies vary in scope and aim, prevalence figures are consistent over time and in rural and urban environments. In view of these studies, Orchid Project estimates an FGC prevalence of 93% in the female, ethnic Malay population and no FGC in the Chinese and Indian populations.

The data available are insufficient to estimate prevalence among the non-Malay Bumiputera, although there is anecdotal evidence that FGC is also practised by members of the Orang Asli and Sabah and Sarawak’s indigenous populations. The 2020 census indicates that Malaysia is home to 8.1 million female Malay-Muslim citizens. The prevalence of FGC in each Malaysian state and federal territory can thus be estimated from the estimated national prevalence of FGC and the number of female Malay-Muslims in each area. Collectively, these figures suggest that more than 7.5 million women and girls are impacted by FGC in Malaysia.

Distribution of FGM/C across Malaysia

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FGM/C Legislation in Malaysia

There is no law against FGM/C in Malaysia

Malaysia has a dual judicial system consisting of common law and Islamic law. A federal non-binding fatwa was published in 2009 by JAKIM, giving the official religious opinion that FGM/C is compulsory for Muslim girls.

Development Indicators

Population Growth

34,219,975 (2023 est.) with a 1.01% growth rate (2023 est.)

Infant Mortality

6.5 deaths per 1,000 live births (2023)

Maternal Mortality

21 deaths per 100,000 live births (2023)

SDG Gender Index

59 out of 144 countries (2020)

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