Female genital cutting (FGC) is a common practice in many societies in the northern half of sub-Saharan Africa. It includes a range of operations that varies from a symbolic nicking of the clitoris to excision of tissue and partial closure of the vaginal area (infibulation) for non-medical reasons. Except for few countries with prevalence rates above 90 percent, FGC prevalence varies widely within countries by various groups. Ethnicity is a variable that provides a better explanation of the distribution of FGC within countries than other variables (as prevalence may be from 1 to 95 % in different ethnic group within the same country while distribution by religion or residence is uneven.