One in three overdue for cervical cancer screening across UK

Screening rates are declining, with some parts of England at greater risk due to low uptake of HPV vaccine

A third of people across the UK are overdue their cervical cancer screening, while in parts of England some are at greater risk of the disease than others due to a low uptake for the preventive vaccine, experts have warned.

Since the coronavirus pandemic, cervical screening attendance rates have been steadily declining, from 72.2% in 2020 to 68.4% in 2024, NHS England data shows.