How common is sexually transmitted HPV?

It is estimated that 80% of individuals who have engaged in any type of sexual activity will have contracted some type of HPV in their lifetime. There are 14 million new cases each year, and about 79 million people have an HPV infection at any given time. Most individuals with HPV do not know they have it and will never have a problem from their infection because their immune system will clear the infection on its own. Some individuals may not be able to clear the HPV infection and may experience problems such as warts, pre-cancerous changes in the cervix, or cancer.