This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of cervical human papilloma virus (HPV) infection among ethnic minority and Han Chinese women in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province to provide a theoretical basis for the strategy of cervical cancer prevention and treatment in this region. A consecutive cohort of 12,605 female residents who underwent cervical HPV genotyping across four medical centers in the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture between January 2018 and June 2024 was enrolled. The overall HPV prevalence and genotype distribution was analyzed and the disparities in infection patterns among different ethnic groups were compared. The overall HPV prevalence among women in this region was 17.88% (2,254/12,605). Infections solely with high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) predominated, with a prevalence of 14.75%, accounting for 82.48% (1,859/2,254) of all HPV-positive cases. The three most prevalent HR-HPV genotypes were HPV-52 (4.53%), HPV-16 (2.41%), and HPV-58 (2.01%). HPV infections exhibited a striking age-specific clustering among younger demographics; the prevalence in both the <20 and 20-29 years age groups reached 100%. The prevalence declined significantly with advancing age, dropping to 5.20% in the ≥60 years age group. Single-genotype infections constituted the primary pattern (74.00%, 1,668/2,254). However, multiple infections-particularly mixed infections of HR-HPV and low-risk HPV (LR-HPV)-were exceptionally prominent in the <20 years age group, peaking at 24.14%. Demographically, the overall HPV prevalence among ethnic minority women was significantly higher than that of Han women (23.14% vs. 15.62%, ＜0.001), with the highest rates observed in the Dai (27.10%), Hani (26.30%), and Miao (25.17%) ethnicities. Although the general infection patterns (single vs. multiple) were similar between ethnicminority and Han women, ethnicminority women bore a significantly higher burden of specific HR-HPV types compared with Han women, including HPV-16 (3.56% vs. 1.92%), HPV-58 (3.03% vs. 1.58%), HPV-51 (2.45% vs. 1.24%), and HPV-59 (0.92% vs. 0.30%) (all ＜0.05). Furthermore, inter-ethnic variations in genotype distribution were observed among the minority groups; notably, the distribution of HR-HPV-56 showed the most significant difference (=0.018), with the highest prevalence found in women from the Dai ethnicity (3.74%). Cervical HPV infections among women in this region are predominantly driven by HR-HPV types 52, 16, and 58, exhibiting significant age and ethnic heterogeneity. Young women aged <30 years are highly susceptible not only to overall HPV infection, but also to mixed exposure involving multiple genotypes. Compared to Han women, ethnic minority women face a substantially more severe burden of HR-HPV infections. These findings suggest that future cervical cancer prevention and control strategies in this region should shift interventions to earlier stages, prioritizing early screening and health education for young women. Simultaneously, it is imperative to account for ethnic disparities, promote multivalent HPV vaccines that cover the predominant endemic strains, and develop targeted, precision-based prevention strategies tailored to specific ethnic regions.