HPV positivity rates
HPV Detection Rate Benchmarking
One of the key elements of quality assessment for the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) is for pathology laboratories to routinely assess their HPV detection rate ('positivity rate'). Data should be restricted to screening samples and to women aged 25 years or over at the time of testing. Rates for clinician-collected specimens should be assessed separately from self-collected specimens.
The National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) provides overall and stratified benchmarks that will allow laboratories to assess their detection rates against national averages for both clinician-collected specimens and self-collected specimens. The NCSR stratifies benchmark detection rates by age cohort (born before/after June 30, 1980) labelled as pre- and post-1980.
Guidance for pathology labs is available from the Guidelines for handling HPV detection rate quality management process. This includes information on:
- benchmarks for unsatisfactory rates
- how to notify the NCSP
- how the NCSP will manage notifications from pathology laboratories about a Query batch.
The Reagent Batch Failure Notification Form outlines the required information, including the date of reagent batch failure, reagent data (lot numbers and expiry dates) and contact details, which can be filled in and emailed to NCSR Operations at the Department of Health and Aged Care to notify the NCSP.
Note that the benchmark for HCP-collected unsatisfactory rates is:
The percentage of clinician collected laboratory specimens that are reported as unsatisfactory for HPV NAT testing should not exceed 0.5%.
There is no benchmark for self-collected unsatisfactory rates.
HPV Positivity and Unsatisfactory Rate National Benchmark (Released 11 April 2025)
Note for the transition to new requirements
The new Requirements for cervical screening (Second edition 2024) replaced the previous Requirements for Laboratories Reporting Tests for the National Cervical Screening Program (Second Edition 2019). The main changes between the 2019 and 2024 requirements in relation to HPV detection monitoring are that:
- Laboratories must now monitor both the positivity and unsatisfactory rates for screening HPV specimens.
- Laboratories must now benchmark their rates for clinician-collected rates separately from self-collected rates.
- The benchmark for positivity rates has changed from 95% confidence intervals to 99% confidence intervals.
National Benchmark Rates (current as of 1 April 2025) are calculated using Registry data collected from 3 December 2024 to 3 March 2025.
Collection method |
Age cohort |
Positivity rate |
Unsatisfactory rate |
HCP collected primary screening tests |
Overall |
7.4% |
0.2% |
Pre-1980 |
4.9% |
0.2% |
|
Post-1980 |
10.0% |
0.2% |
|
Self-collected primary screening tests |
Overall |
9.3% |
1.8% |
Pre-1980 |
7.4% |
1.7% |
|
Post-1980 |
11.6% |
1.8% |
Notes and definitions
- Only screening samples are included in calculations. These are tests where the reason for test is C1 Primary screening HPV test, and where the participant is aged ≥24 years 9 months and < 75 years at the time of testing.
- Benchmark rates are generated using a three-month rolling calculation (91 day window for specimen collection).
- HPV positivity rates are the percent of satisfactory screening tests that are positive for oncogenic HPV.
- HPV unsatisfactory rates are the percent of all HPV screening tests that are reported unsatisfactory for HPV.
The following zip file contains instructions, and an Excel file with charts and tables that facilitate comparison to the benchmark positivity rates.
HPV positivity rate archive
The table below displays previously published HPV positivity rates.
To view full details of previously published HPV positivity rates:
HPV positivity rates
Date |
Clinician-collected |
Self-collected |
||||
Overall |
Pre 1980 |
Post 1980 |
Overall |
Pre 1980 |
Post 1980 |
|
1 Mar 2025 |
7.1% |
4.7% |
9.8% |
9.1% |
7.2% |
11.6% |
1 Feb 2025 |
6.8% |
4.4% |
9.6% |
8.9% |
7.0% |
11.5% |
HPV unsatisfactory rates
Date |
Clinician-collected |
Self-collected |
||||
Overall |
Pre 1980 |
Post 1980 |
Overall |
Pre 1980 |
Post 1980 |
|
1 Mar 2025 |
0.2% |
0.2% |
0.2% |
1.6% |
1.6% |
1.7% |
1 Feb 2025 |
0.2% |
0.2% |
0.2% |
1.4% |
1.3% |
1.4% |
| HPV Positivity rate – date published | Overall | Pre 1980 | Post 1980 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 January 2025 | 7.0% | 5.5% | 10.4% |
| 11 November 2024 | 7.1% | 5.0% | 10.1% |
| 8 August 2024 | 7.2% | 5.1% | 10.2% |
| 29 April 2024 | 7.1% | 4.9% | 10.4% |
| 16 January 2024 | 7.0% | 4.8% | 10.6% |
| 23 November 2023 | 6.8% | 4.5% | 10.6% |
| 8 August 2023 | 6.8% | 4.5% | 10.6% |
| 19 April 2023 | 7.5% | 4.8% | 11.4% |
| 13 January 2023 | 9.3% | 5.7% | 13.2% |
| 7 October 2022 | 11.3% | 7.4% | 14.1% |
| 5 July 2022 | 10.8% | 7.0% | 13.8% |
| 2 May 2022 | 10.4% | 6.8% | 13.6% |
| 14 January 2022 | 10.8% | 6.9% | 14.2% |
| 1 October 2021 | 11.2% | 7.2% | 14.7% |
| 9 April 2021 | 11.2% | 7.4% | 14.6% |
| 12 January 2021 | 10.9% | 7.2% | 14.5% |
| 12 October 2020 | 11% | 7.4% | 14.5% |
| 7 July 2020 | 10.7% | 7.1% | 14.5% |
| 6 January 2020 | 8.2% | 5.7% | 12.9% |
| 2 October 2019 | 8.4% | 5.9% | 13.1% |
| 5 July 2019 | 8.4% | 5.9% | 13.1% |
| 11 April 2019 | 8.6% | 5.9% | 13.8% |
| 1 March 2019 | 8.6% | 5.9% | 13.9% |
| 1 February 2019 | 8.5% | 5.9% | 13.7% |
| 11 January 2019 | 8.4% | 5.9% | 13.6% |
| 11 December 2018 | 8.5% | 6.0% | 13.7% |
| 9 November 2018 | 8.6% | 6.1% | 13.9% |
| 5 October 2018 | 8.7% | 6.1% | 14.0% |
| 7 September 2018 | 8.6% | 6.1% | 13.9% |
| 3 August 2018 | 8.6% | 6.1% | 14.1% |
| 6 July 2018 | 8.7% | 6.2% | 14.2% |
| 1 June 2018 | 8.9% | 6.2% | 14.7% |
| 4 May 2018 | 9.1% | 6.3% | 14.9% |
| 6 April 2018 | 9.0% | 6.2% | 14.8% |
| 9 March 2018 |
9.2% | 6.3% | 15.2% |
| 9 February 2018 |
8.9% | 6.2% | 14.9% |
| 5 January 2018 |
8.9% | 6.1% | 15.7% |