You probably know someone who keeps pushing a doctor's visit down the list. For a lot of women, that one appointment that keeps getting bumped is a cervical check. The latest global numbers show just how common that is.
Of the roughly 1 billion women aged 30 to 49 worldwide, about 662 million had never been screened for cervical cancer. That is close to two in three.
The figure comes from a global analysis in The Lancet Global Health led by researchers at the Catalan Institute of Oncology, IDIBELL and ISGlobal in Spain.
Only about one in three women in that age group have ever been screened in their lifetime, the analysis found.
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That matters because cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that is almost fully preventable. Nearly all cases are caused by lingering infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), according to the World Health Organization.
HPV is extremely common. The body usually clears it on its own, but when the infection lingers, it can slowly turn healthy cells into cancer over 15 to 20 years. A regular screening test catches those changes early, long before they become cancer.
Globally, 604,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2024 and 280,000 died from it, the WHO says.
The gap between rich and poor countries
The missed-screening problem is heaviest in low-income countries, but even wealthy nations have gaps. In high-income countries, about 84% of women aged 30 to 49 have been screened at some point. In low-income countries, that figure is just 11%.
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Overall, screening coverage is at least seven times higher in rich countries than in poor ones, the Lancet analysis found.
The WHO wants to change that. Its 2030 plan calls for 90% of girls vaccinated against HPV by age 15, 70% of women screened with a high-quality test by ages 35 and 45, and 90% of women with cervical disease treated.
Current coverage is far below the 70% screening goal.
HPV testing is the most sensitive check
Not all screening methods are equal. The older Pap test (cytology) looks for abnormal cells on the cervix. The newer HPV test looks for the virus itself, catches high-risk infections earlier, and only needs to be repeated every 5 years.
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The WHO recommends HPV testing as the preferred method. But only about 35% of countries with a screening program had moved to it as the primary approach, the Lancet analysis found.
What to ask for in the US
In the US, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends a Pap test every 3 years for women aged 21 to 29.
For women aged 30 to 65, the preferred option is an HPV test every 5 years. A Pap test every 3 years, or a Pap plus HPV test (called cotesting) every 5 years, are also acceptable.
Women under 21 and women over 65 with a documented history of normal screening generally do not need testing. The same is true for women who have had the cervix removed in a hysterectomy for reasons other than cancer.
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Self-collected HPV samples have been cleared as an alternative to clinician-collected samples, which means women can give the sample themselves at a doctor's office. If you are not sure when your last cervical check was, ask at your next primary-care visit.
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This article is made and published by Aksel Kryhlmand, who may have used AI in the preparation.