Global cost-effectiveness analysis suggests that vaccinating pre-adolescent girls is usually cost-effective for cervical cancer prevention, particularly in resource-constrained settings where screening and other cervical cancer prevention and control measures often have limited coverage. At 2020 prices for the bivalent and quadrivalent vaccines, girls-only vaccination was cost-effective (compared with no vaccination) irrespective of the schedule or vaccine used. Go to footnote 1, Go to footnote 2
HPV vaccination is generally cost-effective or even cost-saving in both high- and low-income countries, especially when targeting girls aged 9–14 years. The mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for HPV vaccination globally is estimated at $4,217 per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted, with much lower ICERs in regions with high cervical cancer burden, such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Go to footnote 3
In Latin America, most studies found HPV vaccination to be cost-saving or cost-effective, with mean ICERs ranging from I$358 to I$3,804 depending on the vaccine type and study parameters. Go to footnote 4
- Go back to footnote reference 1
Abbas KM, van Zandvoort K, Brisson M, Jit M (2020). Effects of updated demography, disability weights, and cervical cancer burden on estimates of human papillomavirus vaccination impact at the global, regional, and national levels: a PRIME modelling study. Lancet Glob Health. 8(4):e536–e544. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30022-X.
- Go back to footnote reference 2
World Health Organization (2016). Cost-effectiveness analysis of HPV vaccination: PRIME model and ICER estimates [presentation]. Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization, October 2016 session. Geneva: WHO (https://terrance.who.int/mediacentre/data/sage/SAGE_Docs_Ppt_Oct2016/10_session_HPV/Oct2016_session10_HPV_CEA-ICER.pdf, accessed 19 June 2025).
- Go back to footnote reference 3
Rosettie K, Joffe J, Sparks G, Aravkin A, Chen S, Compton K, et al. (2021). Cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination in 195 countries: a meta-regression analysis. PLoS One. 16:e0260808. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260808.
- Go back to footnote reference 4
Tejada R, Malagón T, Franco E (2022). Cost-effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccination in girls living in Latin American countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Vaccine. 40(18):2525–2535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.03.046.
