Data extracted in July 2026
Planned article update: August 2027
Highlights
In 2024, at least 80% of women eligible for breast cancer screening in Denmark, Sweden and Finland had been screened within recent years.
In 2024, more than three quarters of women eligible for cervical cancer screening in Sweden, Ireland and Czechia had been screened within recent years.
In 2024, more than two thirds of people eligible for colorectal cancer screening in Finland and the Netherlands had been screened within the previous 2 years.
Breast cancer screening, women aged 50–69 years, 2024
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 the online publication Health in the European Union – facts and figures.
Indicators covering breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer screening are presented in Figures 1 to 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 (see Figure 1) 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
In 2024 data on breast cancer screening rates among women (typically aged 50 to 69 years) are available for 24 out of the 27 EU countries, (see Figure 1 for footnotes) in particular concerning the age coverage. Among these EU countries, screening rates were below 40.0% of the eligible population in Latvia, Poland, Cyprus, Hungary for 2024 and Greece (which had the lowest rate, at 14.5% in 2023). The 3 Nordic EU countries: Denmark, Sweden and Finland had the highest screening rates, all with over 80.0%, while Slovenia had a rate just below this level (77.8%).
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 20.5 percentage points), Slovakia (up 13.4 percentage points; note that the age range changed), Croatia (up 10.0 percentage points) and Estonia (up 7.8 percentage points; 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 5.5 percentage points. Larger decreases were observed in the Netherlands (down 13.4 percentage points; note there is a break in series), Luxembourg (down 9.4 percentage points) and Malta (down 9.2 percentage points; note that the age range and denominator changed from eligible women to invited women.); see Figure 1 for footnotes, in particular concerning the age coverage.
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Source: Eurostat (online data code: hlth_ps_prev)
Data on the available number of mammographs by country is included in the articles statistics - specific cancers and resource statistics technical resources and medical technology.
Cervical cancer screening
Data for cervical cancer screening are available for 23 EU countries, generally for 2024 (2023 for Romania as the screening programme was suspended in 2024); note that the age coverage and screening frequency vary for most countries; see Figure 2 for more details. Among these countries, cervical cancer screening rates peaked above three quarters in Sweden (82.9%), Ireland (76.2%) and Czechia (75.3%). At the other end of the range, the proportion of women who had been screened for cervical cancer was 6.2% in Romania,(2023 data), 6.5% in Hungary and 10.1% in Poland.
_Health2026.png)
Source: Eurostat (online data code: hlth_ps_prev)
Colorectal cancer screening
Data on colorectal cancer screening rates for 2024 are available for 22 EU countries (2023 for Denmark) – see Figure 3. The screening rate was highest in Finland at 73.5% and was close to two thirds in the Netherlands (67.1%) and Sweden (65.2%). The screening rate was above 50.0% in 5 other EU countries. Only in Hungary (4.1%) was a rate below 10.0% observed, while rates were also below 25.0% in Poland and Portugal. The age interval for this screening is not set for health statistics; the recommended age group is 50–74 years (see the data sources section below).
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Source: Eurostat (online data code: hlth_ps_prev)
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 (or according to the specific screening frequency recommended in each country) prior to the reference date 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 the target population who have undergone colorectal cancer screening based on the country’s colorectal cancer screening policy, which defines, among other aspects, the target age range and the screening method and interval. The recommended age range in 50 to 74 years and the recommended frequency is every 2 years; 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 recommendation.
Administrative data on cancer screening are based on national cancer screening programmes. 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.
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 plan was well underway, and the vast majority of actions have been initiated and are being put into practice. More than 90% of actions had been either concluded or were ongoing, across all pillars and horizontal themes of the plan, covering all 10 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)