Epidemiological characteristics and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus infection in Lianyungang, Northern Jiangsu Province, China, 2021–2025

To analyze the prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Lianyungang, Northern Jiangsu Province of China, and to provide localized epidemiological data for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer and related diseases. A retrospective analysis was conducted on HPV genotyping data from 50,279 women at Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital from 2021 to 2025. Overall infection rate, genotype distribution, age-specific positivity, and longitudinal trends were evaluated. The overall HPV prevalence was 18.57% (9,336/50,279), increasing from 15.30% in 2021 to a peak of 21.18% in 2023 but adjusting to 19.84% by 2025. Single infections were the predominant infection pattern (75.83%, 7,080/9,336). Age-specific prevalence exhibited a bimodal distribution, with the first peak in the ≤ 25 years group (23.56%, 810/3,438) and a second peak in the ≥ 56 years group (1,017/3,904, 26.05%). The five most prevalent genotypes were HPV52 (1,822/50,279, 3.62%), HPV16 (3.01%, 1514/50,279), HPV58 (2.46%, 1,239/50,279), HPV53 (1.97%, 989/50,279), and HPV39 (1.72%, 864/50,279), while HPV81 (1.70%, 856/50,279) were the most prevalent LR HPV genotypes. Annual analysis revealed HPV53 prevalence increasing significantly from 1.51% in 2021 to 2.72% in 2025 ( P < 0.001). This study provides the largest-scale data on the recent epidemiological characteristics of HPV infection in Lianyungang, China, which will guide the development of local cervical cancer prevention and control strategies.