HPV infects basal epithelial cells, causing benign or malignant lesions of the skin and mucosa. It is a sexually transmitted infection prevalent among young people aged 20 to 24 years. The objective of this study was to compile data on the prevalence of HPV genotypes in Brazil over the last 20 years, analyzing regional distribution, biological samples, and infection by sex.

The International Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria were used, and searches were conducted in PubMed, LILACS, and SciELO. Inclusion criteria comprised studies published between January 2000 and October 2020 that performed genotyping involving more than four HPV types, with proper description of identified types. Studies were also required to describe both the study location and the type of biological sample used. The search yielded 369 articles, of which 34 were selected for analysis. A descriptive analysis of HPV prevalence by region was performed, with calculation of 95% confidence intervals.

Most studies included women as participants and used cervicouterine material as the biological sample. Analysis of selected studies identified circulation of 69 different HPV genotypes in Brazil during the analyzed period. Among high-risk genotypes, HPV-16 was the most prevalent in all regions of the country, detected in 10.71% of analyzed samples. Regarding low-risk genotypes, distinct regional distributions were observed: HPV-61 (5.12%) in the North, HPV-54 (3.9%) in the South, and HPV-6 predominated in the remaining regions. Regional prevalence analysis showed marked differences: Southeast (54.3%; 95% CI: 52.7–55.8%), Midwest (28.7%; 95% CI: 28.0–29.5%), South (29.9%; 95% CI: 24.3–35.4%), North (23.8%; 95% CI: 21.6–26.0%), and Northeast (8.1%; 95% CI: 7.7–8.4%).

The predominance of HPV-16 across all Brazilian regions reinforces the importance of its inclusion in vaccines offered by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). Regional variation in low-risk genotypes indicates the need for vaccination and screening strategies tailored to local realities. These findings may support more effective public policies for HPV prevention, diagnosis, and control in Brazil.