Eliminating cervical cancer in Canada

Cervical cancer rates in Canada

Key takeaways

  • An estimated 1,600 people in Canada were diagnosed with cervical cancer and 400 people died from it in 2024.(1)
  • Canada’s cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates are comparable to those in other high-income countries including the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany, but lag behind several others such as Australia, New Zealand, Italy and Switzerland.(2)
  • Cervical cancer elimination is defined as reaching and maintaining fewer than four cervical cancer cases per 100,000 women.(3)
  • There were 8.7 cervical cancer cases per 100,000 females in 2022.(3) With intensified efforts in both HPV vaccination and screening Canada can achieve the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.
  • Cervical cancer cases per 100,000 females ranged from 4.4 in Prince Edward Island to 11.8 in Saskatchewan in 2022.(4)
  • Cervical cancer incidence rates are higher among equity-denied communities including those in lower-income neighbourhoods and rural locations.(4)
  • Cervical cancer accounted for about $132 million in health system costs in Canada in 2024.(5)

Age-standardized incidence rate (per 100,000) for cervical cancer, Canada†, 1994 to 2018

Legend

● Actual ● Elimination threshold

† Based on trends in age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 for cervical cancer (females only) from 1994 to 2012, Canada. Quebec incidence data was carried forward from 2017 and Nova Scotia incidence data was carried forward from 2019. Rates are age-standardized to the 2021 Canadian standard population. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted routine cervical cancer screening in 2020 and may have affected incidence rates from 2020-21.

Data table and footnotes

Age-standardized incidence rates (per 100,000) for cervical cancer, by jurisdiction†, 2020 and 2022

Legend 
● Elimination threshold
†Data for Canada includes all jurisdictions. Quebec incidence data was carried forward from 2017 and Nova Scotia data was carried forward from 2019. Rates are age-standardized to the 2021 Canadian standard population. Cervical cancer cases in Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut were suppressed due to small numbers. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted routine cervical cancer screening in 2020 and may have affected incidence rates for 2020.
Data table and footnotes

Age-standardized incidence rate (per 100,000) for cervical cancer, by neighbourhood income quintile and residence location, Canada†, 2020-22 combined

Legend
● Elimination threshold
†Data for Canada includes all provinces/territories except Quebec and Nova Scotia. Rates are standardized to the 2021 Canadian standard population. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted routine cervical cancer screening in 2020 and may have affected incidence rates from 2020-21.
Data table and footnotes

The importance of accelerating cervical cancer elimination

Women and individuals with a cervix between the ages of 30 and 50 carry the greatest burden of cervical cancer.(4) This is an age range that includes many people who are significant social and economic contributors to society while also fulfilling caregiving roles.

Cervical cancer rates are especially high among people living in rural or remote areas and people with low income.(4) Despite limited data in Canada, rates are also likely to be higher among 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and people of certain races or ethnicities, such as women who identify as a visible minority, Indigenous or Black.(6-11)

These differences are often due to structural and systemic factors, including racism and discrimination in the health system, which create barriers to accessing vaccination, screening and care. People who hold multiple intersecting equity-denied social identities—including identities related to race, class, age, gender, sexuality, disability, immigration status, religion or language—may experience complex and unique incremental barriers to access. Addressing these inequities is critical.

Data doesn’t tell the whole story

In Canada, there is very limited data to describe how race and ethnicity affect risk for cervical cancer. Data for specific populations, including First Nations, Inuit and Métis, is limited to single studies.(7-11)

By contrast, the United States systematically collects data on cervical cancer incidence and mortality by race and ethnicity. Its data reveals that Hispanic, Indigenous and Black women have significantly higher rates of new cervical cancer cases than women of other races or ethnicities.(12) It is likely that similar trends exist in Canada.

The safe collection and use of data on race, education, geographic location and other social determinants of health, as well as information based on other ways of knowing, are needed to identify the populations most affected by cervical cancer in Canada and inform efforts to close health equity gaps.

In addition, the need for Peoples-specific and self-governed data is recognized by First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners as a priority in the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control and the Action Plan for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in Canada, 2020–2030 (Action Plan). The pan-Canadian Cancer Data Strategy guides efforts to enhance the collection, integration and use of cancer data including race, ethnicity and Indigenous identity data. It also highlights First Nations, Inuit and Métis-led efforts to advance data and data governance, such as the First Nations Data Governance Strategy.

Hear from Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Canada Research Chair in Global Control of HPV-related Diseases and Prevention, and Dr. Onye Nnorom, Public Health and Preventive Medicine Specialist (Black Health focus), on the importance of population-specific data:

First Nations-, Inuit- and Métis-governed research and data systems 

The Action Plan calls for enhanced measurement and standardized reporting to identify disparities and provide actionable insights for program improvement, including the prioritization of First Nations-, Inuit- and Métis-governed research and data systems. With access to Peoples-specific data and knowledge about HPV vaccination, more culturally safe and appropriate vaccination programs can be delivered.(13)

  1. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Global Cancer Observatory 2022. Available from: https://gco.iarc.fr/en.
  2. World Health Organization. Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative [Internet]. 2022. Available from: https://www.who.int/initiatives/cervical-cancer-elimination-initiative.
  3. Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee, Canadian Cancer Society, Statistics Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Cancer Statistics [Internet]. 2023. Available from: https://cdn.cancer.ca/-/media/files/research/cancer-statistics/2023-statistics/2023_PDF_EN.pdf.
  4. Canadian Cancer Registry. Canadian Cancer Registry: Detailed information for 2022. 2025. Canadian Cancer Registry. Canadian Cancer Registry: Detailed information for 2022 2025. Available from: https://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=3207.
  5. Canadian Cancer Society. Canadian Cancer Statistics: A 2024 special report on the economic impact of cancer in Canada [Internet]. 2024. Available from: https://cdn.cancer.ca/-/media/files/cancer-information/resources/publications/canadian-cancer-statistics-a-2024-special-report-on-the-economic-impact-of-cancer-in-canada/0835-2976-2024-special-report-en.pdf.
  6. Comeau D, Johnson C, Bouhamdani N. Review of current 2SLGBTQIA+ inequities in the Canadian health care system. Front Public Health. 2023;11:1183284. Epub 2023/08/03. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1183284. PubMed PMID: 37533535; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC10392841.
  7. Ezeife DA, Padmore G, Vaska M, Truong TH. Ensuring equitable access to cancer care for Black patients in Canada. CMAJ. 2022;194(41):E1416-E9. Epub 2022/10/25. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.212076. PubMed PMID: 36280246; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC9616139 from Pfizer. She has participated on advisory boards with Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis and AstraZeneca. No other competing interests were declared.
  8. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. Inuit and cancer fact sheets [Internet]. 2012. Available from: https://www.itk.ca/inuit-cancer-fact-sheets/.
  9. Mazereeuw MV, Withrow DR, Diane Nishri E, Tjepkema M, Marrett LD. Cancer incidence among First Nations adults in Canada: follow-up of the 1991 Census Mortality Cohort (1992-2009). Can J Public Health. 2018;109(5-6):700-9. Epub 2018/07/08. doi: 10.17269/s41997-018-0091-0. PubMed PMID: 29981110; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC6964591.
  10. Mazereeuw MV, Withrow DR, Nishri ED, Tjepkema M, Vides E, Marrett LD. Cancer incidence and survival among Metis adults in Canada: results from the Canadian census follow-up cohort (1992-2009). CMAJ. 2018;190(11):E320-E6. Epub 2018/03/21. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.170272. PubMed PMID: 29555862; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC5860893.
  11. Simkin J, Smith L, van Niekerk D, Caird H, Dearden T, van der Hoek K, et al. Sociodemographic characteristics of women with invasive cervical cancer in British Columbia, 2004-2013: a descriptive study. CMAJ Open. 2021;9(2):E424-E32. Epub 2021/04/24. doi: 10.9778/cmajo.20200139. PubMed PMID: 33888548; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC8101640.
  12. U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. U.S. Cancer Statistics Data Visualizations Tool 2025. US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Cancer Institute. 2025. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dataviz.
  13. MacDonald SE, Kenzie L, Letendre A, Bill L, Shea-Budgell M, Henderson R, et al. Barriers and supports for uptake of human papillomavirus vaccination in Indigenous people globally: A systematic review. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2023;3(1):e0001406. Epub 2023/03/25. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001406. PubMed PMID: 36962871; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC10021254.
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