Overview
- The Ministry of Health’s monograph, using the 2023 Spanish Health Survey, finds mammography participation for women aged 50–69 fell to 68% from 81.5% in 2017, a decline of 13.5 percentage points.
- Cervical screening coverage for women 25–64 stands at 75.6% and remains below the roughly 80% levels seen before 2017 with the largest drops among women aged 25–34 and disadvantaged groups.
- Colorectal screening has expanded from very low baseline levels to 38.7% of people aged 50–69 reporting a fecal occult blood test in the last two years but 45.2% of that group say they have never been tested.
- Declines and uneven uptake are concentrated in poorer social groups, people born abroad and some autonomous communities, with advantaged women showing about 75–77% coverage versus roughly 60–62% in the most disadvantaged groups.
- The findings come from the Ministry’s 2023‑based report and media outlets have reported a proposed expansion of the breast‑screening age range from 50–69 to 45–75, a change that is reported but not clearly sourced in the ministry document.