Proportion of the population affected by the disease or infected with the antigen

Cervical cancer is the most common cancer type in 25 countries and the leading cause of cancer death in 37 countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa as well as South America and South-Eastern Asia. 
The estimated global HPV prevalence between 1995 and 2009 was 11.7% (95% CI 11.6%-11.7%). 
Highest prevalence of cervical HPV among women is in sub-Saharan Africa (24%), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (16%), Eastern Europe (14%), and South-East Asia (14%). Prevalence in men is highly variable based on sexual trends. ,  

Sources

  • Bray F, Laversanne M, Weiderpass E, Soerjomataram I (2024). Global cancer statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 74(3):229–263. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21834.

  • Bruni L, Diaz M, Castellsagué M, Ferrer E, Bosch FX, de Sanjosé S (2010). Cervical human papillomavirus prevalence in 5 continents: meta-analysis of 1 million women with normal cytological findings. J Infect Dis. 202(12):1789–1799. https://doi.org/10.1086/657321.

  • Human papillomavirus and cancer [fact sheet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024 (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-papilloma-virus-and-cancer, accessed 19 June 2025).

  • Cervical cancer [fact sheet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024 (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer, accessed 19 June 2025).