Key Statistics for Cervical Cancer

How common is cervical cancer?

The American Cancer Society's estimates for cervical cancer in the United States for 2023 are:

• About 13,960 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed.
• About 4,310 women will die from cervical cancer.

Cervical pre-cancers are diagnosed far more often than invasive cervical cancer.

Mortality rates for cervical cancer

Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death for American women. The cervical cancer death rate dropped significantly with the increased use of the Pap test. (This screening procedure can find changes in the cervix before cancer develops. It can also find cervical cancer early − when it's small and easier to cure.)

In recent years, the HPV test has been approved as another screening test for cervical cancer since almost all cervical cancers are caused by HPV (human papillomavirus). The HPV test looks for infection by high-risk types of HPV that are more likely to cause pre-cancers and cancers of the cervix. The HPV test can be used alone (primary HPV test) or at the same time as the Pap test (called a co-test).

Cervical cancer is most frequently diagnosed in women between the ages of 35 and 44 with the average age at diagnosis being 50. It rarely develops in women younger than 20. Many older women do not realize that the risk of developing cervical cancer is still present as they age. More than 20% of cases of cervical cancer are found in women over 65. However, these cancers rarely occur in women who have been getting regular tests to screen for cervical cancer before they were 65. See Can cervical cancer be prevented? and Cervical Cancer Screening Tests for more information about tests used to screen for cervical cancer.

Visit the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics Center for more key statistics.