Find information about world cancer statistics for the most common cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) in 2018, the latest year available.
There were an estimated 18 million cancer cases around the world in 2018, of these 9.5 million cases were in men and 8.5 million in women. The most common cancers globally are listed in the table below.
With this growing global burden, prevention of cancer is one of the most significant public health challenges of the 21st century. Our Cancer Prevention Recommendations work together as an overall way of living healthily to prevent cancer through changing dietary patterns, reducing alcohol consumption, increasing physical activity and achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight – read our blog here.
As well as action by individuals, achieving healthy patterns of diet and sustained physical activity over the life course requires concerted and integrated action from all sectors of society, including civil society, private sector, and health and other professions. Read more about policy action for cancer prevention here.
Global cancer incidence: both sexes
- Lung and breast cancers were the most common cancers worldwide, each contributing 12.3% of the total number of new cases diagnosed in 2018.
- Colorectal cancer was the third most common cancer with 1.8 million new cases in 2018.
Rank | Cancer | New cases diagnosed in 2018 | % of all cancers (excl. non-melanoma skin cancer) |
---|---|---|---|
All cancers* | 17,036,901 | ||
1 | Lung | 2,093,876 | 12.3 |
2 | Breast | 2,088,849 | 12.3 |
3 | Colorectal** | 1,800,977 | 10.6 |
4 | Prostate | 1,276,106 | 7.5 |
5 | Stomach | 1,033,701 | 6.1 |
6 | Liver | 841,080 | 5.0 |
7 | Oesophagus | 572,034 | 3.4 |
8 | Cervix uteri | 569,847 | 3.3 |
9 | Thyroid | 567,233 | 3.3 |
10 | Bladder | 549,393 | 3.2 |
11 | Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 509,590 | 3.0 |
12 | Pancreas | 458,918 | 2.7 |
13 | Leukaemia | 437,033 | 2.6 |
14 | Kidney | 403,262 | 2.4 |
15 | Corpus uteri | 382,069 | 2.2 |
16 | Lip, oral cavity | 354,864 | 2.1 |
17 | Brain, central nervous system | 296,851 | 1.7 |
18 | Ovary | 295,414 | 1.7 |
19 | Melanoma of skin | 287,723 | 1.7 |
20 | Gallbladder | 219,420 | 1.3 |
21 | Larynx | 177,422 | 1.0 |
22 | Multiple myeloma | 159,985 | 0.9 |
23 | Nasopharynx | 129,079 | 0.8 |
24 | Oropharynx | 92,887 | 0.5 |
25 | Hypopharynx | 80,608 | 0.5 |
26 | Hodgkin lymphoma | 79,990 | 0.5 |
27 | Testis | 71,105 | 0.4 |
28 | Salivary glands | 52,799 | 0.3 |
29 | Anus | 48,541 | 0.3 |
30 | Vulva | 44,235 | 0.3 |
31 | Kaposi sarcoma | 41,799 | 0.2 |
32 | Penis | 34,475 | 0.2 |
33 | Mesothelioma | 30,443 | 0.2 |
34 | Vagina | 17,600 | 0.1 |
Global cancer incidence in men
- Lung cancer was the most common cancer in men worldwide, contributing 15.5% of the total number of new cases diagnosed in 2018.
- The top three – lung, prostate and colorectal cancers – contributed 44.4% of all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer).
- Other common cancers contributing more than 5% were stomach and liver.
Rank | Cancer | New cases diagnosed in 2018 | % of all cancers (excl. non-melanoma skin cancer) |
---|---|---|---|
All cancers* | 8,818,685 | ||
1 | Lung | 1,368,524 | 15.5 |
2 | Prostate | 1,276,106 | 14.5 |
3 | Colorectal** | 1,006,019 | 11.4 |
4 | Stomach | 683,754 | 7.8 |
5 | Liver | 596,574 | 6.8 |
6 | Bladder | 424,082 | 4.8 |
7 | Oesophagus | 399,699 | 4.5 |
8 | Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 284,713 | 3.2 |
9 | Kidney | 254,507 | 2.9 |
10 | Leukaemia | 249,454 | 2.8 |
11 | Lip, oral cavity | 246,420 | 2.8 |
12 | Pancreas | 243,033 | 2.8 |
13 | Brain, central nervous system | 162,534 | 1.8 |
14 | Larynx | 154,977 | 1.8 |
15 | Melanoma of skin | 150,698 | 1.7 |
16 | Thyroid | 130,889 | 1.5 |
17 | Gallbladder | 97,396 | 1.1 |
18 | Nasopharynx | 93,416 | 1.1 |
19 | Multiple myeloma | 89,897 | 1.0 |
20 | Oropharynx | 74,472 | 0.8 |
21 | Testis | 71,105 | 0.8 |
22 | Hypopharynx | 67,496 | 0.8 |
23 | Hodgkin lymphoma | 46,559 | 0.5 |
24 | Penis | 34,475 | 0.4 |
25 | Salivary glands | 29,256 | 0.3 |
26 | Kaposi sarcoma | 28,248 | 0.3 |
27 | Mesothelioma | 21,662 | 0.2 |
28 | Anus | 20,196 | 0.2 |
Global cancer incidence in women
- Breast cancer was the most common cancer in women worldwide, contributing 25.4% of the total number of new cases diagnosed in 2018.
- The top three – breast, colorectal and lung cancers – contributed 43.9% of all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer).
- Cervical cancer was the fourth most common cancer in women, contributing 6.9% of the total number of new cases diagnosed in 2018.
Rank | Cancer | New cases diagnosed in 2018 | % of all cancers (excl. non-melanoma skin cancer) |
---|---|---|---|
All cancers* | 8,218,216 | ||
1 | Breast | 2,088,849 | 25.4 |
2 | Colorectal** | 794,958 | 9.7 |
3 | Lung | 725,352 | 8.8 |
4 | Cervix uteri | 569,847 | 6.9 |
5 | Thyroid | 436,344 | 6.3 |
6 | Corpus uteri | 382,069 | 5.3 |
7 | Stomach | 349,947 | 4.3 |
8 | Ovary | 295,414 | 3.6 |
9 | Liver | 244,506 | 3.0 |
10 | Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 224,877 | 2.7 |
11 | Pancreas | 215,885 | 2.6 |
12 | Leukaemia | 187,579 | 2.3 |
13 | Oesophagus | 172,335 | 2.1 |
14 | Kidney | 148,755 | 1.8 |
15 | Melanoma of skin | 137,025 | 1.7 |
16 | Brain, central nervous system | 134,317 | 1.6 |
17 | Bladder | 125,311 | 1.5 |
18 | Gallbladder | 122,024 | 1.5 |
19 | Lip, oral cavity | 108,444 | 1.3 |
20 | Multiple myeloma | 70,088 | 0.9 |
21 | Vulva | 44,235 | 0.5 |
22 | Nasopharynx | 35,663 | 0.4 |
23 | Hodgkin lymphoma | 33,431 | 0.4 |
24 | Anus | 28,345 | 0.3 |
25 | Salivary glands | 23,543 | 0.3 |
26 | Larynx | 22,445 | 0.3 |
27 | Oropharynx | 18,415 | 0.2 |
28 | Vagina | 17,600 | 0.2 |
29 | Kaposi sarcoma | 13,551 | 0.2 |
30 | Hypopharynx | 13,112 | 0.2 |
31 | Mesothelioma | 8,781 | 0.1 |