Background The association between ulcerative colitis (UC) and increased risk of cervical cancer in women remains controversial. We investigated cervical cancer risk in South Korean UC patients using the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) claims data. Methods UC definitions included both ICD-10 codes and UC-specific prescriptions. We analyzed incident cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2015. Age-matched women without UC (control group) were randomly selected from the general population (1:3 ratio). Hazard ratios (HRs), adjusted for different covariates, were calculated using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression. In total, 12,632 and 36,797 women with and without UC, respectively, were enrolled. Results Cervical cancer developed in 0.21% (68 person-years) and 0.14% (172 person-years) of UC patients and controls, respectively. The HR (95% CI) of cervical cancer in the UC group, with reference to the control group, was 1.56 (0.97-2.50). HR, stratified by age, was significantly high in elderly UC patients (≥60 years) at 3.65 (1.54–8.66). In UC patients, old age (≥40 years) and low socioeconomic status were associated with increased cervical cancer risk. Conclusion Elderly UC patients had a higher incidence of cervical cancer than age-matched controls in Korea, suggesting that elderly patients with newly diagnosed UC should be screened for cervical cancer.