Pop princess Kylie Minogue celebrates her 40th birthday today - and she's not being allowed to ignore it, according to AAP.

Media in Australia and the UK are celebrating the life and career of the Melbourne-born Minogue, who is currently on tour in Europe for her 10th album X.

Minogue, who survived a bout with breast cancer, has had a string of pop hits since appearing on the Australian soap Neighbours and has been a huge star in Britain for 20 years.

"The petite Australian has been gracing our screens in one form or another for the past 28 years, and could now be described as a global treasure," Britain's Daily Telegraph gushed.                                                                                                 

She kicked off her birthday celebrations last week in Athens with an all-night party at a seaside hotel.

British newspapers have speculated that she will either spend her actual birthday in either the German city of Cologne or the romantic French capital of Paris with her parents Carol and Ron and sister Dannii.