Worldwide diagnoses of bowel cancer approximate an estimated one million new cases per year, comprising 9% of all cancer cases, and this has continued to increase over the last 25 years. With the association between cancer risk and increasing age, together with the suggestion that by 2015 there will be a 22% increase in the proportion of the population aged over 65 years and a 50% increase in the proportion of people aged over 80 years, there is likely to be a significant increase in the demand on cancer services throughout Europe and the rest of the world. This article discusses the current state of bowel cancer screening within Europe.