Lung cancer is the 2nd most common cancer worldwide.
Lung cancer is the 2nd most common cancer worldwide. It is the most common cancer in men and the 2nd most common cancer in women.
There were more than 2.2 million new cases of lung cancer in 2020.
The 10 countries with the highest rates of lung cancer and the highest number of deaths from lung cancer in 2020 are shown in the tables below.
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.
The following 3 tables show total global cancer incidence and rates in 2020, followed by the figures for men and women. Hungary had the highest overall rate of lung cancer in 2020, followed by Serbia.
Rank | Country | Number | ASR/100,000 |
World | 2,206,771 | 22.4 | |
1 | Hungary | 10,274 | 50.1 |
2 | Serbia | 8,048 | 47.3 |
3 | France, New Caledonia | 166 | 42.9 |
4 | French Polynesia | 144 | 40.4 |
5 | Turkey | 41,264 | 40.0 |
6 | Montenegro | 443 | 39.7 |
7 | Belgium | 9,646 | 38.3 |
8 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2,513 | 37.8 |
9 | North Korea | 13,672 | 37.0 |
10 | Denmark | 5,047 | 36.8 |
Rank (men) | Country | Number | ASR/100,000 |
World | 1,435,943 | 31.5 | |
1 | Turkey | 34,207 | 74.8 |
2 | Serbia | 5,409 | 68.0 |
3 | Hungary | 5,812 | 66.6 |
4 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,984 | 64.7 |
5 | Montenegro | 318 | 61.2 |
6 | France, New Caledonia | 110 | 59.9 |
7 | Armenia | 1,101 | 56.8 |
8 | Greece | 6,786 | 56.3 |
9 | French Polynesia | 100 | 55.3 |
10 | Slovakia | 2,531 | 54.3 |
Rank (women) | Country | Number | ASR/100,000 |
World | 770,828 | 14.6 | |
1 | Hungary | 4,462 | 38.1 |
2 | Denmark | 2,648 | 36.8 |
3 | The Netherlands | 6,450 | 33.5 |
4 | Ireland | 1,628 | 32.9 |
5 | US | 111,540 | 30.4 |
6 | UK | 25,040 | 29.9 |
7 | Serbia | 2,639 | 29.8 |
8 | Iceland | 107 | 29.6 |
9 | North Korea | 6,470 | 28.7 |
10 | Brunei | 56 | 28.0 |
The following 3 tables show total global lung cancer mortality in 2020, followed by the figures for men and women. Hungary had the highest overall mortality rate from lung cancer in 2020, followed by Serbia.
Rank | Country | Number | ASR/100,000 |
World | 1,796,144 | 18.0 | |
1 | Hungary | 8,920 | 42.4 |
2 | Serbia | 7,084 | 40.0 |
3 | French Polynesia | 129 | 36.0 |
4 | Turkey | 37,070 | 35.9 |
5 | Guam | 86 | 35.1 |
6 | Poland | 27,444 | 32.8 |
7 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2,240 | 32.1 |
8 | Montenegro | 370 | 31.6 |
9 | France, New Caledonia | 124 | 31.4 |
10 | Croatia | 2,984 | 30.9 |
Rank (men) | Country | Number | ASR/100,000 |
World | 1,188,679 | 25.9 | |
1 | Turkey | 30,749 | 67.5 |
2 | Serbia | 4,892 | 59.6 |
3 | Hungary | 5,200 | 58.6 |
4 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,773 | 55.8 |
5 | Armenia | 1,026 | 52.4 |
6 | Guam | 56 | 49.7 |
7 | Croatia | 2,122 | 49.4 |
8 | Montenegro | 265 | 49.3 |
9 | French Polynesia | 88 | 48.5 |
10 | Poland | 17,461 | 48.4 |
Rank (women) | Country | Number | ASR/100,000 |
World | 607,465 | 11.2 | |
1 | Hungary | 3,720 | 30.6 |
2 | Denmark | 1,895 | 25.2 |
3 | Serbia | 2,192 | 23.6 |
4 | The Netherlands | 4,864 | 22.9 |
5 | Guam | 30 | 22.8 |
6 | North Korea | 5,294 | 22.6 |
7 | French Polynesia | 41 | 22.6 |
8 | Canada | 10,455 | 21.2 |
9 | Poland | 9,983 | 21.2 |
10 | Brunei | 40 | 20.6 |
Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer. There is evidence that the following are also associated with an increased risk of lung cancer: previous lung disease, occupational exposure and indoor air pollution.
There is also strong evidence that:
There is some evidence that:
> Read more about what can cause and what can protect against lung cancer
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.