Introduction. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. However,it can be successfully treated in case of early detection. By removing polyps and precancerous lesions during colonoscopy it is possible to prevent the development and progression of the disease. The high incidence of CRC and its late detection is a problem for public health that requires systemic solutions at the national level. Materials and methods. A number of foreign articles,international guidelines were analysed using PubMed,Google Scholar,Web of Science, and information from national government websites about the aspects of CRC screening programmes in countries with high rates of participation of the average-risk population as well as the stages of their implementation for national colorectal cancer screening program development in Ukraine. Review and discussion. CRC screening programmes have increased the number of detected asymptomatic cases that would otherwise go unidentified until symptoms appear,which may potentially take years. Countries that have implemented an organised population-based CRC screening programme have demonstrated a significant increase of incidence in the first years after the implementation of the screening programme,followed by a gradual decrease in the following years,due to detection and removal of polyps and pre-cancerous lesions. Conclusions. The final goal of CRC screening is to decrease mortality by detecting disease at an early stage, which increases treatment effectiveness and provides a better prognosis, as well as reducing incidence in the long term. This decrease in CRC incidence is the result of massive detection of early asymptomatic cases before they progress to later stages.