A case of female genital mutilation is either discovered or treated at a medical appointment in England every hour, according to an analysis of national health statistics.
Between April 2015 and March 2016 there were 8,656 times when women or girls attended doctors' surgeries or hospitals and the problem was assessed - the equivalent of one every 61 minutes.
Among those who attended, a case of FGM is newly recorded every 92 minutes on average.
This means a woman or girl has their case recorded by the NHS for the first time, although in many cases they will have been cut some years before but it has not come to the attention of doctors sooner.
The figures come as the world marks the international day of zero tolerance to FGM - a UN-sponsored event to raise awareness of the issue.
Tanya Barron, chief executive of the charity Plan International UK, which analysed the statistics, said: "These figures are once again a reminder of the global prevalence of FGM as we mark international day of zero tolerance today. An estimated 200 million women and girls worldwide are affected.
"Across the UK and around the world, there's more awareness than ever of the dangers of this practice, and momentum continues to build as we strive to end it once and for all."
It has been illegal to carry out FGM in the UK since 1985, but there has not been a single successful prosecution. This failure has been branded a "national scandal" by the Home Affairs Select Committee.
