Global cancer data by country

Exploring which countries have the highest cancer rates and why.

On this page you can find incidence and mortality rates for all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) for all the countries in the world.

Globally, 18,094,716 million cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2020. The age-standardised rate for all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) for men and women combined was 190 per 100,000 in 2020. The rate was higher for men (206.9 per 100,000) than women (178.1 per 100,000).

With the burden growing in almost every country, preventing cancer is a significant public health challenge. Around 40% of cancer cases could be prevented by tackling risk factors relating to diet, nutrition and physical activity – for more information see our Cancer Prevention Recommendations.

Reducing the cancer burden requires concerted and integrated action across society, including civil society, private sector, and health and other professions. Browse our policy section to see how we’re working with others to help make this happen.

ASR = age-standardised rates. These are a summary measure of the rate of disease that a population would have if it had a standard age structure. Standardisation is necessary when comparing populations that differ with respect to age because age has a powerful influence on the risk of dying from cancer.

Global cancer incidence: both sexes

  • The highest cancer rate for men and women combined was in Denmark at 334.9 people per 100,000.
  • The age-standardised rate was at least 300 per 100,000 for 10 countries: Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, Hungary, France, The Netherlands, Australia, Norway, France (New Caledonia) and Slovenia.

Cancer incidence in men

  • The highest cancer rate was found in Hungary at 371 men per 100,000.
  • The age-standardised rate was at least 350 per 100,000 in 8 countries: Hungary, Latvia, France, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia and Ireland.

Cancer incidence in women

  • The highest cancer rate in women was in Denmark at 328.3 women per 100,000.
  • The age-standardised rate was at least 300 per 100,000 in 4 countries: Denmark, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Global cancer mortality: both sexes

  • The highest rate of cancer deaths for men and women combined was in Mongolia at 175.9 people per 100,000.
  • The age-standardised rate was at least 140 per 100,000 for 5 countries: Mongolia, Serbia, Hungary, Montenegro and Slovakia.

Cancer mortality in men

  • The highest rate of death from cancer in men was in Mongolia at 224.3 men per 100,000.
  • The age-standardised rate was at least 160 per 100,000 in 19 countries: Mongolia, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia, Montenegro, Moldova, Belarus, Croatia, Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Armenia, Latvia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Uruguay, China and Russia.

Cancer mortality in women

  • The highest rate of death from cancer in women was in Zimbabwe at 142.9 women per 100,000.
  • The age-standardised rate was at least 120 per 100,000 in 6 countries: Zimbabwe, Mongolia, Samoa, Malawi, Serbia and Papua New Guinea.

Notes

The data on this page comes from the Global Cancer Observatory, owned by the World Health Organization/International Agency for Research on Cancer, and is used with permission. The cancer incidence figures and ASRs were compiled using the data available here (last accessed 23 March 2022). For queries about our cancer statistics please email the Research Interpretation team: ri@wcrf.org.