In 2022, the highest cancer rate for men and women among European countries was in Denmark with 728.5 cancer cases per 100,000 population. Ireland and the Netherlands followed, with 641.6 and 641.4 people diagnosed with cancer per 100,000 population, respectively.
Lung cancer Lung cancer is the deadliest type of cancer worldwide, and in Europe, Germany was the country with the highest number of lung cancer deaths in 2022, with 47.7 thousand deaths. However, when looking at the incidence rate of lung cancer, Hungary had the highest for both males and females, with 138.4 and 72.3 cases per 100,000 population, respectively.
Breast cancer Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women with an incidence rate of 83.3 cases per 100,000 population in Europe in 2022. Cyprus was the country with the highest incidence of breast cancer, followed by Belgium and France. The mortality rate due to breast cancer was 34.8 deaths per 100,000 population across Europe, and Cyprus was again the country with the highest figure.

In 2022, the country with the highest age-standardized cancer incidence rate in Latin America and the Caribbean was Uruguay, with 279.9 new cases per 100,000 population. Cuba and Argentina followed, with cancer incidence rates of 220.8 and 215.8, respectively. In that year, Uruguay was also the country with the highest cancer mortality rate in the region.

In a recent report it was shown that the U.S. has the highest prevalence of diagnosed cancer cases among all adults, with around 9 percent of the adult population having some cancer diagnosis. Cancer is the second leading cause of death from chronic diseases worldwide after cardiovascular diseases.

Global cancer risks

Globally, cancer accounts for about 1 in every 6 deaths. Many cancer cases are caused by behavioral and dietary risks including tobacco, alcohol and physical inactivity. The prevalence of tobacco smoking is on the decline and is expected to decline further in the future. Smoking has been linked to lung cancer, other upper respiratory cancers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Among other cancer risk factors, alcohol consumption has been linked to liver and colorectal cancers, as well as other non-communicable diseases. Many European countries have high rates of alcohol consumption.

Global cancer prevalence

Globally, trachea, bronchus and lung cancers are responsible for the most cancer deaths, followed by liver cancer. Lifestyle modification is one of the easiest ways people can reduce their risk of these types of cancer. Among all cancer patients globally, a majority had a history of alcohol consumption. Similarly, in China, EU5 and Russia, over a quarter of all cancer patients had a history of smoking.

In 2022, the highest breast cancer incidence in women in Europe was estimated in Luxembourg with approximately 190 per 100,000 population. Belgium and Cyprus followed closely. The average breast cancer incidence across EU-27 was 147.6 per 100,00 population, in 2022. Cancer incidence in Europe In 2022, Denmark was the European country with the highest cancer incidence, with 728.5 cases per 100,000 population, followed by Ireland and Netherlands, with both around 641 cases per 100,000 people. Overall, the age-standardized incidence rate of cancer in all sites, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers, was 568.7 per 100,000 population in the whole of EU, with the most prevalent type of cancer being prostate cancer, followed by breast and colorectal cancer. Deaths from breast cancer In the same year, breast cancer also had the highest mortality rate among all types of cancers in women, standing at 34.1 deaths per 100,000 females. Cyprus had the highest mortality rate from breast cancer in all of EU with 45.1 deaths per 100,000 women. Meanwhile, the highest number of deaths due to breast cancer in the given year was reported in Germany, where approximately 20.6 thousand women lost their lives to breast cancer.

In 2022, Australia had the fourth-highest total number of skin cancer cases worldwide and the highest age-standardized rate, with roughly 37 cases of skin cancer per 100,000 population. The graph illustrates the rate of skin cancer in the countries with the highest skin cancer rates worldwide in 2022.

This statistic depicts cancer incidence rates among men in selected countries worldwide between 2003 and 2007, per 100,000 inhabitants. African American men have one of the highest cancer incidence rates worldwide, with 446.1 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

In 2018, Norway reported 50.3 new skin cancer cases per 100,000 population, the highest incidence across Europe. This was followed by an incidence rate of 45.8 cases per 100,000 in Greece. In comparison, 5.7 cases of melanoma were diagnosed in Romania in that year.

In 2018, Hungary reported 111.6 new colorectal cancer cases per 100,000 population, the highest incidence in Europe. This was followed by an incidence rate of 99.8 colorectal cancer cases in Portugal. While in Denmark, 97.1 colorectal cancer cases per 100,000 inhabitants were diagnosed in that year.

In 2022, the incidence of lung cancer among men in Europe was highest in Hungary at 138.4 per 100,000, while Sweden had the lowest incidence. The incidence of lung cancer recorded among women in Denmark was over 79 per 100,000 population. Across the European Union overall, the rate of lung cancer diagnoses was 94.5 per 100,000 among men and 44.1 per 100,000 among women. Smoking and lung cancer risk The connection between smoking and the increased risk of health problems is well established. As of 2021, Hungary had one of the highest daily smoking rates in Europe, with over a quarter of adults smoking daily in the Central European country. The only other countries with a higher share of smoking adults were Bulgaria and Turkey. A positive development though, is the share of adults smoking every day has decreased in almost every European country since 2011. The rise of vaping Originally marketed as a device to help smokers quit, e-cigarettes or vapes have seen increased popularity among people who never smoked cigarettes, especially young people. The use of vapes among young people was reported to be highest in Estonia, Czechia, and Ireland. The dangers of vaping have not been examined over the long term. In the EU there have been attempts to make ‘vapes’ less accessible and appealing for young people, which would include such things as banning flavors and stopping the sale of disposable e-cigarettes.

As of 2020, the age-standardized incidence rate of lung cancer among males worldwide was 31.5 per 100,000 population. At this time the incidence rate of lung cancer among males was highest in Polynesia. This statistic shows the age-standardized incidence rate of lung cancer worldwide as of 2020, by region and gender.

This statistic depicts cancer incidence rates among women worldwide between 2003 and 2007, per 100,000 inhabitants. White women in the United States had one of the highest figures, with an incidence rate of almost 300 per 100,000 inhabitants.

In 2018, Latvia reported 24.1 new pancreatic cancer cases per 100,000 population, the highest incidence of pancreatic cancer in Europe. This was closely followed by an incidence rate of 24 cases per 100,000 in Hungary. While in Germany, 23.2 pancreatic cancer cases per 100,000 inhabitants were diagnosed in that year.

In 2022, Uruguay had the highest age-standardized prevalence rate of all cancer types in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 1,316 cases per 100,000 population. Barbados and Cuba followed, with cancer prevalence rates of 1,192.3 and 1,114.8, respectively. That year, Uruguay also had the region's highest mortality death rate.

North America had the highest 12-month cancer prevalence rate in 2022. The 12-month prevalence rate for all cancers in North America as of this time was 595 per 100,000 population. This statistic displays 12-month cancer prevalence rates worldwide in 2022, by region.

In 2022, the incidence rate of colorectal cancer in the EU was, among men, 92.7 per 100,000, while among women it stood at 58.2 per 100,000. For men, Hungary had the highest incidence rate at 138.3 per 100,000, while Austria had the lowest at 62.5 per 100,000. For women, Denmark had the highest incidence rate at 95.7 per 100,000, while Austria had the lowest at 37.6 per 100,000. This statistic depicts the incidence rate of colorectal cancer in the EU in 2022, by country and gender (per 100,000 population).

In 2022, Australia had the seventh-highest total number of skin cancer cases among women worldwide with 5,917, but the highest age-standardized rate. At that time, the age-standardized rate of skin cancer among women in Australia was around 29 per 100,000 population. This graph displays the rates of skin cancer in women in the countries with the highest total number of skin cancer cases among women worldwide in 2022.

In 2022, there were around 20 million new cases of cancer worldwide. It is predicted that this number will increase to around 35.3 million incident cases in the year 2050. This statistic shows the predicted number of new cancer cases worldwide from 2022 to 2050.

The 5-year prevalence rate of breast cancer cases in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) was the highest in Turkey in 2022, followed by Bahrain at about 216 cases per 100,000 cases. Egypt had the highest number of breast cancer cases in the region in 2022.

It was estimated that in 2018 there were 20 cervical cancer deaths per 100,000 women in Southern Africa. Most cervical cancer cases are due to human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide.

In 2022, there were an estimated 2.48 million new cases of trachea, bronchus, and lung cancer worldwide. Breast cancer was the second most common cancer type at that time with around 2.3 million new cases worldwide.

Number of new cancer cases

Cancer can be caused by internal factors like genetics and mutations, as well as external factors such as smoking and radiation. It occurs in the presence of uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. However, many cancer cases could be prevented, for example, by omitting cigarette usage and heavy alcohol consumption. Risk of developing cancer tends to increase with age and is most common in older adults. Nevertheless, cancer can develop in individuals of any age. Cancer can be treated through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, among other methods.

In the United States, there will be an estimated two million new cancer cases and 611,720 deaths in 2024. Among U.S. men, prostate cancer and lung and bronchus cancers are the most common cancer types as of 2024, totaling an estimated 299,010 and 116,310 cases, respectively. In women, breast cancer and lung and bronchus cancer are the most common newly diagnosed types, totaling 310,720 and 118,270 cases, respectively.