Human papillomavirus prevalence and type-specific distribution of high- and low-risk genotypes among Malagasy women living in urban and rural areas.

•We investigated the overall and genotype-specific prevalences of HPV in Malagasy women.•The most common HR-HPV types were HPV-53, HPV-68, HPV-52, HPV-35, HPV-73, HPV-31, HPV-16, and HPV-18.•CIN1–CIN3 lesions were more common in women in their 30s.•25.8% of CIN2+ cases were associated with HPV-16/18.•This study provides evidence to support the introduction of HPV vaccination in eastern African countries.