Gender inequities regarding the HPV vaccination coverage in high-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Gender-neutral HPV vaccination is the most effective method for cervical cancer elimination and reduces the burden of HPV-associated cancers. This systematic review aims to analyze gender inequities in the HPV vaccine uptake in high-income countries. Electronic databases and official websites were searched using specific search terms for articles published between January 2010 and 2025. The systematic review was reported based on the updated Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) checklist. The meta-analysis component was modified appropriately to synthesize the pooled prevalence of the HPV vaccine uptake among adolescents, men having sex with men and transgender persons with 95% confidence interval (CI). Higher HPV vaccine uptake was observed among adolescent girls in comparison to boys in high-income countries. Meanwhile, the HPV vaccine uptake among gender diverse individuals was minimal. Substantial gender inequities exist in the HPV vaccination coverage among adolescents and young adults from high-income countries. However, the data among gender diverse individuals were retrieved from small clinic-based studies in the USA and may not be generalizable to all gender diverse individuals. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42025641689.