WHO Projects Global Cancer Cases to Rise to 35 Million by 2050

The World Health Organization projects that annual global cancer cases will rise from 20.6 million to 35 million by 2050, driven mainly by population aging. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death worldwide, with roughly 10 million deaths each year. In the United States, the National Cancer Institute estimates 2 million new cases and 626,000 deaths in 2026.

Europe accounts for 21 percent of global cancer cases and 20 percent of deaths despite representing 9 percent of the world population. Western European countries recorded 88 to 101 new cases per 100,000 people in 2024, while rates in Russia, Poland, and Romania ranged from 102 to 180.

Asia accounted for about half of new cases and more than 56 percent of deaths. The United States spent nearly $209 billion on cancer care in 2020, the highest amount worldwide.

Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nearly everyone will encounter cancer personally, noting that 92 percent of people globally have a close family member or friend diagnosed with the disease.

“Cancer is a deeply personal disease that touches nearly all of us. But whether a person survives cancer should never depend on where they were born or what they earn.”

Dr. Elisabete Weiderpass, director of the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer, stated that progress in lowering cancer rates has been too slow. The report links nearly 40 percent of cases to preventable factors such as tobacco use and physical inactivity, and notes that two-thirds of countries with universal health coverage do not include comprehensive cancer treatment as a standard benefit.