In 2021, Kentucky reported the highest cancer incidence rate in the United States, with around 510 new cases of cancer per 100,000 inhabitants. This statistic represents the U.S. states with the highest cancer incidence rates per 100,000 population in 2021.

In 2022, Utah had the lowest death rate from cancer among all U.S. states with around 116 deaths per 100,000 population. The states with the highest cancer death rates at that time were Mississippi, Kentucky and West Virginia. This statistic shows cancer death rates in the United States in 2022, by state.

Cancer was responsible for around 142 deaths per 100,000 population in the United States in 2022. The death rate for cancer has steadily decreased since the 1990’s, but cancer still remains the second leading cause of death in the United States. The deadliest type of cancer for both men and women is cancer of the lung and bronchus which will account for an estimated 65,790 deaths among men alone in 2024. Probability of surviving Survival rates for cancer vary significantly depending on the type of cancer. The cancers with the highest rates of survival include cancers of the thyroid, prostate, and testis, with five-year survival rates as high as 99 percent for thyroid cancer. The cancers with the lowest five-year survival rates include cancers of the pancreas, liver, and esophagus. Risk factors It is difficult to determine why one person develops cancer while another does not, but certain risk factors have been shown to increase a person’s chance of developing cancer. For example, cigarette smoking has been proven to increase the risk of developing various cancers. In fact, around 81 percent of cancers of the lung, bronchus and trachea among adults aged 30 years and older can be attributed to cigarette smoking. A recent poll indicated that many U.S. adults believed smoking cigarettes and using other tobacco products increased a person’s risk of developing cancer, but a much smaller percentage believed the same for proven risk factors such as obesity and drinking alcohol.

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 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.

Nova Scotia has the highest cancer incidence rate of any province in Canada, followed by Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario. However, Nunavut has the highest cancer mortality rate of the provinces. In Nunavut there are around 310 deaths from cancer per 100,000 population, compared to a rate of 218 deaths per 100,000 in Newfoundland and Labrador.

New cancer cases

As of 2023, there were around 513 new cancer cases in Canada per 100,000 population. The most common types of cancer in Canada include lung and bronchus cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women, while prostate cancer is the second most common type among men. Men have slightly higher rates of lung and bronchus cancer and colorectal cancer.

Cancer mortality

Lung and bronchus cancers have the highest mortality rate of any cancer in Canada, followed by colorectal and pancreas cancer. Men in Canada have around a five percent chance of dying as a result of lung and bronchus cancer. The lifetime probability of dying from any cancer type for males in Canada is around 24 percent.

In 2021, there were around 158 new cases of breast cancer per 100,000 population in the state of Connecticut, making it the state with the highest breast cancer incidence rate that year. This statistic shows the incidence rate of breast cancer in the U.S. in 2021, by state.

In the period 2018 to 2022, a total of approximately 173 men per 100,000 inhabitants died of cancers of all kinds in the United States, compared to an overall cancer death rate of 126 per 100,000 population among women. This statistic shows cancer death rates in the U.S. for the period from 2018 to 2022, by type and gender.

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.

As of 2018, there were around 133 prostate cancer cases in Ireland per 100,000 men. This was one of the highest rate of prostate cancer worldwide. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among males, although cancer of the lung and bronchus causes the most cancer deaths.

It is estimated that around 280,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Spain during 2023, of which 160,000 are expected in men and 120,000 in women. Breast cancer is expected to be the type with the highest incidence in the country, with more than 35,000 new cases estimated for 2023, followed by lung and prostate cancer with 31,282 and 29,002 cases, respectively.

Cancer-related deaths

In 2021, cancer was responsible for approximately 114,000 deaths in Spain. Lung and bronchial cancer caused the highest number of cancer deaths in the country, accounting for approximately 22,400 terminal cases. In fact, it was the fourth main cause of death overall, only after COVID-19, coronary artery disease (CAD), and cerebrovascular disease. Lung cancer is highly associated with smoking and is therefore among the most preventable diseases.

Most common types of cancer worldwide

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the world. In 2020, around a quarter of all new cancer cases within this group was attributed to breast cancer. Colorectum and lung cancer followed, accounting for 9.4 and 8.4 percent of all new cancer cases among women that year, respectively. In comparison, lung cancer was the most common type of cancer among men, with a share of 14.3 percent. Prostate cancer followed closely, with 14.1 percent.

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer worldwide, accounting for 1.82 million deaths in 2022. The second most deadly form of cancer is colorectum cancer, followed by liver cancer. However, lung cancer is only the sixth leading cause of death worldwide, with heart disease and stroke accounting for the highest share of deaths.

Male vs. female cases

Given that lung cancer causes the highest number of cancer deaths worldwide, it may be unsurprising to learn that lung cancer is the most common form of new cancer cases among males. However, among females, breast cancer is by far the most common form of new cancer cases. In fact, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer worldwide, followed by prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is a very close second to lung cancer among the cancers with the highest rates of new cases among men.

Male vs. female deaths

Lung cancer is by far the deadliest form of cancer among males but is the second deadliest form of cancer among females. Breast cancer, the most prevalent form of cancer among females worldwide, is also the deadliest form of cancer among females. Although prostate cancer is the second most prevalent cancer among men, it is the fifth deadliest cancer. Lung, liver, stomach, colorectum, and oesophagus cancers all have higher deaths rates among males.

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, cancer caused more than 2.5 million deaths in China, making it one of the major causes of death in the country. Lung cancer was by far the most lethal type of cancer, killing more than 733,000 patients. Other dangerous types include liver, stomach, and oesophageal cancers. Breast cancer, although the sixth most common cancer in terms of new cases, was relatively less deadly than many other types, with less than 75,000 victims.

The burden of cancer in China The high prevalence of cancer carries heavy burdens for patients, their families, and China's healthcare providers. As a group of serious chronic conditions, some cancers are characterized by their low cure rates and increased risks of relapse. At the same time, cancer treatments often require advanced medical resources, usually only found in tier-three general hospitals or specialist cancer institutions. Expensive targeted drugs and imported pharmaceuticals are often necessary to treat cancer patients, thus imposing financial burdens on the patients and their families. Due to the continuous improvement of China's medical insurance system, the financial burden inflicted by cancer has been significantly reduced in many regions.

Challenges to reducing cancer rates
In China, reducing the prevalence of cancer has proven particularly challenging. The incidence of lung cancer remains very high in the country, primarily attributed to high smoking rates and air pollution. At the same time, some dietary habits unique to China, including the preference for consuming very hot water and dishes, have also contributed significantly to the high rates of stomach and oesophageal cancers.

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.

In 2021, Utah had the highest rate of skin cancer, with an estimated 46 people out of 100,000 diagnosed with melanoma or another non-epithelial skin cancer. This statistic shows the incidence rate of skin cancer in the U.S. in 2021, by state, per 100,000 population.

The rate of liver cancer diagnoses in the United States increases with age. As of 2021, those aged 75 to 79 years had the highest rates of liver cancer. Risk factors for liver cancer include smoking, drinking alcohol, being overweight or obese, and having diabetes. Who is most likely to get liver cancer? Liver cancer in the United States is much more common among men than women. In 2021, there were 12.3 new liver cancer diagnoses among men per 100,000 population, compared to just five new diagnoses per 100,000 women. Concerning race and ethnicity, non-Hispanic American Indians and Alaska Natives and Hispanic have the highest rates of new liver cancer diagnoses. The five-year survival rate for liver cancer in the United States is around 22 percent, however, this rate is much higher among non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islanders than other races and ethnicities. Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islanders have a 33 percent chance of surviving the next five years after a liver cancer diagnosis. Deaths from liver cancer In 2020, there were an estimated 20,262 deaths in the United States due to liver cancer. However, the death rate for liver cancer has decreased over the past few years. In the period 1999 to 2020, the death rate for liver cancer reached a high of five deaths per 100,000 population in 2015 but dropped to 4.6 deaths per 100,000 population by 2020. It is estimated that in 2024, there will be over 19,000 liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer deaths among men in the United States and 10,700 such deaths among women.

The cancer type with the highest prevalence rate in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2022 was breast cancer, with 213.1 cases per 100,000 population. This was followed by prostate cancer and colorectal cancer, with prevalence rates of 175.8 and 61.3 cases per 100,000 population, respectively. That year, breast and prostate cancer were also the two cancer types with the highest mortality rates in the region. Regional variations in cancer prevalence While breast cancer has a higher prevalence rate in Latin America overall, individual countries show distinct patterns. Uruguay stands out with the highest age-standardized cancer prevalence rates in Latin America and the Caribbean for both men and women, at 1,331.5 and 1,301.6 cases per 100,000 population as of 2022, followed by Barbados, Cuba, and Argentina. When it comes to differences between genders, while some countries like Chile and Cuba show higher rates among men, most nations in the region report higher prevalence rates among women.
Medical equipment for diagnosis and treatment Like prevalence rates, the availability of specialized medical equipment used for cancer diagnosis and treatment in Latin American hospitals varies from country to country and from technology to technology. As of 2023, while one in four hospitals in the region had CT scanners, only one percent had robotic surgery systems. When it comes to basic equipment, ECG and ultrasound machines are the most common type of equipment found in Latin American hospitals.

It is estimated that in 2025 there will be a total of 226,650 new cases of lung and bronchus cancer in the United States. The highest number of these cases are estimated to be in the state of Florida. This statistic presents the estimated number of new lung and bronchus cancer cases in the United States in 2025, by state.

In 2022, breast cancer had the rate of incidents among all cancer types in the Middle East and North Africa, at 49 new cases per 100,000 people. Trachea, bronchus and lung cancer had the second highest rate in the region. Vaginal, Oropharynx, and penis cancer all had the lowest incidence with a rate of under 0.2 cases per 100,000 people.