Data extracted in July 2025.
Planned article update: August 2026.
Highlights
In 2023, at least 80% of women eligible for breast cancer screening had been screened for breast cancer in Denmark, Sweden and Finland, within recent years.
In 2023, around three quarters of eligible women in Sweden, Czechia, Slovenia, and Ireland had been screened for cervical cancer within recent years.
In 2023, over 60% of people eligible for colorectal cancer screening in Finland (provisional), the Netherlands, Sweden, Slovenia and Estonia had been screened for colorectal cancer within the previous 2 years.
Breast cancer screening, women aged 50–69 years, 2023
This article presents an overview of European Union (EU) statistics related to cancer screening rates for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer. Related articles on cancer statistics and statistics on specific cancers provide an overview of statistics related to cancers in general and more detailed information on a selection of specific cancers.
This article is included in a set of statistical articles concerning healthcare activities in the EU which forms part of an online publication on Health in the European Union – facts and figures.
The indicators covering breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer screening are presented in Figures 1-3. The standard analysis is the proportion of the target population (eligible for screening of breast cancer, cervical cancer or colorectal cancer) that have been screened.
In most EU countries, the rates for breast cancer screening are somewhat higher than those reported for cervical cancer screening (see Figure 2); in nearly all EU countries, the rates for breast cancer screening are much greater than those for colorectal cancer screening (see Figure 3).
Breast cancer screening
Data on breast cancer screening rates among women aged 50 to 69 years are available for 24 EU countries, generally for 2023; see Figure 1 for footnotes, in particular concerning the age coverage. Among these EU countries, screening rates were below 40.0% in Poland, Latvia, Cyprus and Greece (which had the lowest rate, at 14.5%). The 3 Nordic EU countries – Denmark, Sweden and Finland – reported screening rates of over 80.0%, while Slovenia had a rate just below this level (77.5%).
A comparison of data for the 2 years shown in Figure 1 indicates that breast cancer screening rates increased in 8 of the 20 EU countries for which data are available. The largest increases (in percentage point terms) were observed in Lithuania (up 21.3 pp), Slovakia (up 12.1 pp; note that there is a break in series and that the age range changed) and Estonia (up 11.1 pp; note that the age range changed). In the 12 EU countries where screening rates fell between the 2 years shown, the decreases were generally smaller than 7.0 pp. A larger decrease was observed in the Netherlands (down 9.9 pp); see Figure 1 for footnotes, in particular concerning the age coverage.
_Health2025.png)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_ps_prev)
Cervical cancer screening
Data for cervical cancer screening are available for 20 EU countries, generally for 2023 (2021 for Denmark); note that the age coverage and screening frequency vary for several EU countries; see Figure 2 for more details. Among these countries, cervical cancer screening rates peaked above three quarters in Sweden (77.7%) and nearly reached three quarters in Czechia (74.7%), Slovenia (74.4%), Ireland (74.0%) and Finland (73.0%) (provisional). At the other end of the range, the proportion of women who had been screened for cervical cancer was 10.9% in Poland and 6.2% in Romania.
_Health2025.png)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_ps_prev)
Colorectal cancer screening
Data on colorectal cancer screening rates for 2023 are available for 19 EU countries – see Figure 3. The screening rate was highest in Finland at 74.4% (provisional), and was close to two thirds in the Netherlands (67.2%) and Sweden (64.7%). The screening rate was above 50.0% in 6 other EU countries. Only in Hungary (9.0%) was a rate below 20.0% observed. The age interval for this screening is not set for health statistics, however, the recommended age group is 50 – 74 (see data sources section below).
_Health2025.png)
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
This article presents data on preventive services from administrative data.
Healthcare resources and activities
Statistics on healthcare resources and healthcare activities (such as cancer screening) are documented in a background article on the methodology of Healthcare non-expenditure statistics. This provides information on the scope of the data, its legal basis, the methodology employed, as well as related concepts and definitions.
Programme data
The indicator covering breast cancer screening is defined in line with the 2003 Council Recommendation on cancer screening (2003/878/EC). The data presented are administrative data from breast cancer screening programmes. The standard analysis is the proportion of women (eligible for screening) that have been screened. This is based on the number of women aged 50 to 69 years who had received a bilateral mammography within the 2 years prior to the reference date (or according to the specific screening frequency recommended in each country) as a share of women eligible for an organised screening programme; in practice, some countries use different age ranges.
The indicator covering cervical cancer screening is defined in line with the 2003 Council Recommendation on cancer screening (2003/878/EC). It concerns the population of women aged 20 to 69 years having been screened for cervical cancer within the previous 3 years (or according to the specific screening frequency recommended in each country). The data presented are administrative data from cervical cancer screening programmes; in practice, some countries use different age ranges.
Administrative data on colorectal screening are also based on screening programmes. The indicator covering colorectal screening are also defined in line with the 2003 Council Recommendation on cancer screening (2003/878/EC). It concerns the proportion of target population who have undergone colorectal cancer screening based on the country’s colorectal cancer screening policy, which defines among others, the target age range and the screening method and interval. The recommended age range in 50-74 years and the recommended frequency is every 2-years, however most countries define their own age range and frequency.
In December 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted a new recommendation (2022/C 473/01) on strengthening prevention through early detection. This recommendation included revised suggested age groups and screening methods. As of reference year 2023, Eurostat included pilot indicators on cancer screening according to the new recommendation in the Joint Questionnaire on Healthcare non-Expenditure. Most countries are still in the process of implementing, or discussing the implementation of, the new Council recommendation.
Administrative data on cancer screening are based on national cancer screening programmes. For 2023, data on cancer screening are not available for some countries. This may be due to the fact that some countries do not have official screening programmes, screening may be performed by general practitioners or because countries are not able to collect programme data.
For country specific notes on these data collections, please refer to the annexes at the end of the national metadata reports accessible from links at the beginning of the European metadata report.
The Healthcare non-expenditure statistics manual provides an overview of the classifications, both for mandatory variables and variables provided on a voluntary basis.
Legal basis
Heath care non-expenditure statistics Regulation (EC) No 1338/2008 on Community statistics on public health and health and safety at work, implemented through Commission Regulation (EU) 2294/2022 as regards statistics on healthcare facilities, healthcare human resources and healthcare utilisation.
Context
Primary prevention offers the most cost-effective, long-term strategy for reducing the burden of diseases across the EU. It involves tackling major health determinants (see Chapter 3 of Health in the European Union – facts and figures), such as smoking, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. The European Commission has supported many projects related to health determinants and health promotion in general.
Secondary prevention aims to reduce mortality by early detection, for example, the detection of cancer through screening. In December 2003, a Council Recommendation on cancer screening was adopted, setting out principles of best practice. This invited EU countries to take common action to implement national population-based screening programmes for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, with appropriate quality assurance at all levels.
In 2014, the European Commission released a report on the implementation of the 2009 Communication on action against cancer: European partnership and the 2nd implementation report on the 2003 Council Recommendation.
A proposal to update the 2003 Recommendation to reflect the latest available scientific advice was adopted by the European Commission in September 2022. In December 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted a new approach on cancer screening. This aims to improve early detection throughout the EU. This new approach is a key element of the EU supported cancer screening scheme. The scheme is 1 of the flagship initiatives of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.
In February 2025, the Commission released a Review of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, which concluded that the implementation of the Cancer Plan is well underway, and the vast majority of actions have been initiated and are being put into practice. More than 90% of actions have been either concluded or are ongoing, across all pillars and horizontal themes of the Cancer Plan, covering all ten flagship initiatives.
Explore further
Other articles
Online publications
Health status – selected diseases and related health problems
Methodology
General health statistics articles
Database
- Health (hlth), see
- Health care (hlth_care)
- Preventive services (hlth_prev)
- Preventive cancer screenings - programme data (hlth_ps_prev)
- Self-reported last breast examination by X-ray among women by age and educational attainment level (hlth_ehis_pa7e)
- Self-reported last cervical smear test among women by age and educational attainment level (hlth_ehis_pa8e)
- Self-reported last colorectal cancer screening test by sex, age and educational attainment level (hlth_ehis_pa5e)
- Preventive services (hlth_prev)