Global Cancer Cases to Rise by Two-Thirds by 2050

The number of cancer cases worldwide is projected to rise by 66.7% by 2050, driven by population growth, longer life expectancy and risk factors including obesity, unhealthy diets and pollution, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report.

The increase will be greatest in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, where cases are expected to rise by 125.2% and 109.8% respectively. Five-year survival rates for breast and childhood cancers exceed 85% in high-income countries but fall below 45% in poorer countries, partly because of late diagnosis.

“Whether a person survives cancer should never depend on where they were born or what they earn”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Although 82% of countries have national cancer control plans, the WHO said progress remained too slow. Elisabete Weiderpass, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, warned that obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets and air pollution were changing the global cancer profile.

There were 20.6 million new cancer cases and an estimated 9.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease. Lung and prostate cancers are the most common among men, while breast and lung cancers are the most common among women.

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