Cervical cancer is the fourth most commonly occurring cancer in women and the eighth most commonly occurring cancer overall. There were over 500,000 new cases in 2018. The top 20 countries with the highest rates of cervical cancer in 2018 are given in the table below.
Virtually all cervical cancers are associated with human papilloma viruses (HPV). However, the majority of women with HPV do not develop cervical cancer. Women become susceptible to developing cervical cancer following HPV infection, but other environmental factors are required for the cancer to develop.
The Continuous Update Project Panel judged there is some evidence that greater body fatness might increase the risk of cervical cancer.
> Read about all the evidence in our Third Expert Report.
Age-standardised rates are used in the tables. This is a summary measure of the rate of disease that a population would have if it had a standard age structure. Standardisation is necessary when comparing populations that differ with respect to age because age has a powerful influence on the risk of dying from cancer.
Cervical cancer rates
Swaziland had the highest rate of cervical cancer in 2018, followed by Malawi.
| Rank | Country | Age-standardised rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swaziland | 75.3 |
| 2 | Malawi | 72.9 |
| 3 | Zambia | 66.4 |
| 4 | Zimbabwe | 62.3 |
| 5 | Tanzania | 59.1 |
| 6 | Burundi | 57.4 |
| 7 | Uganda | 54.8 |
| 8 | Lesotho | 52.1 |
| 9 | Madagascar | 51.6 |
| 10 | Comoros | 50.9 |
| 11 | Guinea | 45.5 |
| 12 | Burkina Faso | 45.1 |
| 13 | Mali | 43.9 |
| 14 | South Africa | 43.5 |
| 15 | Mozambique | 42.8 |
| 16 | Bolivia | 38.5 |
| 17 | Senegal | 37.8 |
| 18 | Liberia | 37.2 |
| 19 | Angola | 36.1 |
| 20 | Kenya | 33.8 |