Ovarian cancer is the eighth most commonly occurring cancer in women and the 18th most commonly occurring cancer overall. There were nearly 300,000 new cases in 2018. The top 25 countries with the highest rates of ovarian cancer in 2018 are given in the table below.
The Continuous Update Project Panel judged there is strong evidence that greater body fatness and greater adult attained height increase the risk of ovarian cancer. There is some evidence that breastfeeding might decrease the risk of ovarian cancer in the mother. Read about all the evidence in our Third Expert Report.
Age-standardised rates are used in the tables. This is 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.
Ovarian cancer rates
Serbia had the highest rate of ovarian cancer in 2018, followed by Brunei.
| Rank | Country | Age-standardised rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serbia | 16.6 |
| 2 | Brunei | 16.0 |
| 3 | Belarus | 15.4 |
| 4 | Poland | 14.7 |
| 5 | Latvia | 14.3 |
| 6 | Hungary | 13.2 |
| 7 | Ukraine | 12.3 |
| 8= | Fiji | 12.2 |
| 8= | Lithuania | 12.2 |
| 10 | Croatia | 12.1 |
| 11 | Slovakia | 11.6 |
| 12 | Ireland | 11.4 |
| 13= | Moldova | 11.1 |
| 13= | Russia | 11.1 |
| 15 | Bulgaria | 10.9 |
| 16 | Philippines | 10.6 |
| 17= | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 10.5 |
| 17= | New Caledonia (France) | 10.5 |
| 17= | Singapore | 10.5 |
| 20 | Romania | 10.4 |
| 21 | Estonia | 10.3 |
| 22= | Indonesia | 9.7 |
| 22= | UK | 9.7 |
| 24= | Czech Republic | 9.5 |
| 24= | Japan | 9.5 |
