Cervical Cancer
Global mortality data, country rankings, and trends for Cervical Cancer from 1990 to 2021.
| # | Country | Rate | Region |
|---|
Cervical Cancer is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. This page presents data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Burden of Disease Study, showing mortality trends, country rankings, and regional patterns. Understanding the epidemiology of cervical cancer helps inform public health interventions and resource allocation.
This data is sourced from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, processed via Our World in Data. All rates are age-standardized per 100,000 population unless otherwise noted. Explore related mortality data using the links below.
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally and kills approximately 342,000 women per year. Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types — principally HPV 16 and 18 — causes virtually all cases. Cervical cancer is unique among major cancers in that it is almost entirely preventable through vaccination and screening. The burden falls overwhelmingly on low- and middle-income countries, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for roughly 20% of global deaths. In many African countries, cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women. Risk co-factors include HIV infection (which accelerates HPV-driven carcinogenesis), high parity, smoking, long-term oral contraceptive use, and co-infection with other sexually transmitted infections. The disparity between high-income countries (where screening and vaccination have dramatically reduced incidence) and low-income countries (where neither is widely available) represents a preventable tragedy.
HPV vaccination before sexual debut is over 90% effective against the most oncogenic HPV types and is the cornerstone of cervical cancer elimination. The WHO elimination strategy calls for 90% vaccine coverage, 70% screening coverage (twice per lifetime with HPV testing), and 90% treatment of pre-cancerous lesions and invasive disease. Screen-and-treat approaches using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) or HPV testing followed by thermal ablation are feasible in low-resource settings. Surgical treatment, radiation, and chemotherapy manage invasive disease. Several countries are on track to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem within the coming decades.