Characteristics of screening programmes worldwide, presented alphabetically by country within regions defined by WHO (last updated May 2015)
| Country | ASRi | ASRm | Region(s) | Programme type | Status of organised programme | Type of test | Definition positive test | Starting year | Age range (years) | Screening interval (months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European region | ||||||||||
| Austria | 26 | 9. 9 | All | Opportunistic | gFOBT | 1980 | 40+ | 12 | ||
| All | Opportunistic | OC | 2005 | 50+ | 84–120 | |||||
| Belgium | 36.7 | 11.8 | ||||||||
| Flanders | Organised | Rollout ongoing | FIT | 15 µg Hb/g | 2013 | 56–74 | 24 | |||
| Wallonia and Brussels | Organised | Rollout complete | gFOBT | 2009 | 50–74 | 24 | ||||
| Bulgaria | 66.6 | 16 | ||||||||
| Croatia | 32.9 | 18.7 | All | Organised | Rollout complete | gFOBT | 1/12 slides | 2007 | 50–74 | 24 |
| Czech Republic | 39.9 | 15.4 | All | Opportunistic | FIT | 2000 | 50–54 | 12 | ||
| All | Opportunistic | OC/FIT | 2010 | 55+ | 120/24 | |||||
| Denmark | 40.5 | 14.5 | All | Organised | Rollout ongoing | FIT | 20 µg Hb/g | 2014 | 50–74 | 24 |
| Estonia | 27.2 | 12.3 | ||||||||
| Finland | 23.5 | 8.3 | All | Organised | Rollout ongoing | gFOBT | 2009 | 60–69 | 24 | |
| France | 30 | 10.2 | All | Organised | Rollout complete | FIT | 30 µg Hb/g | 2009 | 50–74 | 24 |
| Germany | 30.9 | 10.4 | All | Opportunistic | gFOBT | 1/6 slides | 1971 | 50–54 | 12 | |
| All | Opportunistic | OC/gFOBT | 2002 | 55+ | 120/24 | |||||
| Greece | 13.5 | 7.5 | All | Opportunistic | OC | 50–80 | ||||
| Hungary | 42.3 | 20.8 | ||||||||
| Iceland | 28.4 | 7.4 | Organised | Pilot/planning phase | ||||||
| Ireland, republic of | 34.9 | 12.2 | All | Organised | Rollout ongoing | FIT | 45 µg Hb/g | 2012 | 55–74 | |
| Italy | 33.9 | 10.8 | All Piedmont/Veneto | Organised organised | Rollout ongoing pilot | FIT FS | 20 µg Hb/g | 1982 | 44–75 58–60 | 24 once |
| Latvia | 23.7 | 12.9 | All | Opportunistic | gFOBT | 1/9 slides | 2005 | 50+ | 12 | |
| Lithuania | 23.4 | 13.7 | Regions | Opportunistic | FIT | 2009 | 50–75 | 24 | ||
| Luxembourg | 31.5 | 11.2 | All | Opportunistic | gFOBT/OC | 2005 | 50+ | |||
| Malta | 31.9 | 12.2 | All | Organised | Rollout ongoing | FIT | 2012 | 60–64 | 12 | |
| The Netherlands | 40.2 | 13.4 | All | Organised | Rollout ongoing | FIT | 47 µg Hb/g | 2014 | 55–75 | 24 |
| Norway | 38.9 | 13 | Regions | Organised | Pilot | OC/FS/FIT | 2012 | 50–64 | ||
| Poland | 27 | 14.5 | All | Organised | Rollout ongoing | OC | 2000 | 50–66 | 120 | |
| Portugal | 31.7 | 13.6 | Centre region | Organised | Pilot | gFOBT | 2008 | |||
| Romania | 26.4 | 13.4 | ||||||||
| Slovakia | 42.7 | 18 | All | Opportunistic | gFOBT/OC | |||||
| Slovenia | 37 | 16.2 | All | Organised | Rollout complete | FIT | 1/2 samples at 67 µg Hb/g | 2009 | 50–69 | 24 |
| Spain | 33.1 | 12.3 | Regions | Organised | Rollout ongoing | FIT | 2000 | 60–69 | 24 | |
| Sweden | 29.2 | 10.9 | Regions | Organised | Pilot | gFOBT/FIT/OC | ||||
| Switzerland | 29.4 | 10.9 | Opportunistic | gFOBT/OC | 50+ | |||||
| Turkey | 16.6 | 10.0 | All | Opportunistic | FIT/OC | 2009 | 50–74 | 24/120 | ||
| UK | 30.2 | 10.7 | ||||||||
| England | Organised | Rollout complete rollout ongoing pilot | gFOBT FS FIT | 5/6 slides* 20 µg Hb/g | 2006 2013 2014 | 60–74 55+60–74 | 24 once 24 | |||
| Scotland | Organised | Rollout complete pilot | gFOBT FIT | 5/6 slides† 80 µg Hb/g | 2007 2010 | 50–74 50–74 | 24 24 | |||
| Wales | Organised | Rollout complete | gFOBT | 5/6 slides† | 2008 | 60–74 | 24 | |||
| Northern Ireland | Organised | Rollout complete | gFOBT | 5/6 slides† | 2010 | 60–74 | 24 | |||
| Ukraine | 23.4 | 13.7 | Unknown | |||||||
| Region of the Americas | ||||||||||
| Argentina | 23.8 | 13 | Urban areas | Organised | Pilot | FIT/OC | 50–74 | 12 | ||
| Bahamas | 20.3 | 10.8 | Opportunistic | gFOBT/FIT/OC | ||||||
| Barbados | 28.4 | 14.1 | Opportunistic | gFOBT/FIT/OC | ||||||
| Brazil | 15.8 | 8 | Regions/Sao Paulo | Organised | Pilot | FIT | ||||
| Canada | 35.2 | 10.8 | ||||||||
| Ontario | Organised | Rollout complete (switching to FIT) | gFOBT | 1/6 slides | 2008 | 50–74 | 24 | |||
| British Columbia | Organised | Rollout complete | FIT | 1/2 samples at 20 µg Hb/g | 2009 | 50–74 | 24 | |||
| Alberta | Organised | Rollout ongoing | FIT | 15 µg Hb/g | 2007 | 50–74 | 12 or 24 | |||
| Saskatchewan | Organised | Rollout complete | FIT | 20 µg Hb/g | 2009 | 50–74 | 24 | |||
| Manitoba | Organised | Rollout complete | gFOBT | 1/6 slides | 2007 | 50–74 | 24 | |||
| Quebec | Organised | Pilot/planning phase | FIT | 2014 | 50–74 | 24 | ||||
| New Brunswick | Organised | Pilot/planning phase | FIT | 2014 | 24 | |||||
| Nova Scotia | Organised | Rollout complete | FIT | 1/2 samples at 300 μg Hb/g | 2009 | 50–74 | 24 | |||
| Prince Edward Island | Organised | Rollout complete | FIT | 2009 | 50–74 | 24 | ||||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Organised | Rollout ongoing | FIT | 2012 | 50–74 | 24 | ||||
| Yukon | No screening | |||||||||
| Northwest territories | No screening | |||||||||
| Nunavut | No screening | |||||||||
| Chile | 15 | 8.6 | Seven cities | Organised | Pilot | FIT | 20 µg Hb/g | |||
| Cuba | 19.7 | 11.6 | Opportunistic | FIT | ||||||
| Jamaica | 14.4 | 7.9 | Opportunistic | OC | ||||||
| Martinique | 23.9 | 9.4 | Organised | Rollout complete | FIT | 30 µg Hb/g | 2007 | 50–74 | 24 | |
| Mexico | 7.8 | 4.1 | Opportunistic | gFOBT/FIT | 50+ | |||||
| Puerto Rico | 24.6 | 9.6 | Opportunistic | gFOBT/FS/OC | 50–75 | |||||
| Trinidad/Tobago | 23.5 | 13.1 | Opportunistic | gFOBT/FIT/OC | ||||||
| Uruguay | 29.5 | 15.7 | Opportunistic | FIT | 20 µg Hb/g | 1997 | 50+ | 24 | ||
| USA | 25 | 9.2 | ||||||||
| Kaiser Permanente North Carolina | Organised | FIT/OC | 50–75 | 12 | ||||||
| Veterans Health Administration | Organised | gFOBT/FS/OC | 51–75 | |||||||
| Western Pacific. South-East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean region | ||||||||||
| Armenia | 19.3 | 11.1 | Unknown | |||||||
| Australia | 38 | 9 | All | Organised | Rollout ongoing | FIT | 50–74 | 60 | ||
| Brunei | 25 | 12 | Opportunistic | OC | ||||||
| China | 14.2 | 7.4 | ||||||||
| Hong Kong | Organised | Pilot | gFOBT/OC | 2003 | 50+ | |||||
| Several including Shanghai and Hangzhou regions | Organised | gFOBT/DRE+OC | 2008 | 40–74 | ||||||
| Israel | 35.9 | 11.1 | All | Organised | Rollout complete | FIT | 1990 | 50–74 | 12 | |
| Japan | 32.2 | 11.9 | All | Organised | Rollout complete | FIT | 1992 | 40–69 | 12 | |
| Jordan | 25.6 | 15.5 | Opportunistic | gFOBT/FIT/OC | 50+ | |||||
| Kazakhstan | 22.8 | 12.8 | Unknown | |||||||
| Korea, North | 21.8 | 10.7 | Unknown | |||||||
| Korea, South | 45 | 12 | All | Organised | FIT | 2004 | 50+ | 12 | ||
| Malaysia | 18.3 | 9.4 | No organised screening | |||||||
| New Zealand | 37 | 15 | Waitemata | Organised | Pilot | FIT | 15 µg Hb/g | 2011 | 50–74 | |
| Singapore | 33.7 | 11.8 | All | Organised | FIT | 50+ | 12 | |||
| Taiwan | All | Organised | Rollout ongoing | FIT | 2004 | 50–74 | ||||
| Thailand | 12.4 | 7.3 | Lampang Province | Organised | Pilot | FIT | 200 ng/mL | 2011 | 50–65 | |
*Weak positives (one to four of six slides positive) are retested.
†Weak positives (one to four of six slides positive) are retested with FIT.
ASRi, age-standardised incidence rates; ASRm, age-standardised mortality rates; DRE, digital rectal exam; FIT, faecal immunochemical test for haemoglobin; FS, flexible sigmoidoscopy; gFOBT, guaiac faecal occult blood test; OC, (optical) colonoscopy.