Global Cancer Cases Could Nearly Double by 2050, WHO Report Warns

A Looming Crisis in Global Cancer Rates

New cancer cases are projected to nearly double worldwide by 2050, with the disease expected to affect more than 90% of the global population in some way, the World Health Organization has warned. The alarm comes from the WHO Global Status Report on Cancer 2026, a sweeping assessment that lays bare both the progress humanity has made against the disease — and the vast, dangerous gaps that remain.

Cancer already causes more than 26,000 deaths every day, with an estimated 20.6 million new cases and nearly 10 million deaths annually, making it the world's second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease. That number of annual cases could reach 35 million a year by 2050. Put simply, the world is not doing enough — and the consequences are accelerating.

Why Cases Are Rising

The report says the increase is being driven in part by population growth and longer life expectancies. Some cancers have become more common in different age groups, but the volume of cancer diagnoses is also being driven by improved detection and the fact that people are living longer, which increases the likelihood of developing age-associated cancers.

WHO said nearly four in 10 cancer cases globally are linked to preventable risk factors. Those include infections such as HPV, hepatitis B and C, and helicobacter pylori, along with alcohol, tobacco use, high body mass index, and insufficient physical activity. The report also highlights that in the Americas, the number of new cancer cases will keep rising over the coming decades due to population ageing, demographic growth, and the persistence of preventable risk factors.

The Inequality at the Heart of the Crisis

The new cancer cases will disproportionately be borne by lower-income countries with poorer access to cancer surveillance and treatment. The numbers are stark. In high-income countries, the five-year net survival rate for breast cancer now exceeds 85 percent; in low-income countries, it drops below 30 percent. Cervical cancer has been decreasing in higher-income countries in Europe and North America — approaching near elimination — while in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa, it remains the number one cancer.

Availability of the 20 priority cancer medicines ranges from just 9 to 54 percent in low and lower-middle-income countries, compared with 68 to 94 percent in high-income countries. Fewer than one in three countries currently include cancer care in their universal health coverage packages. As WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus put it, "whether a person survives cancer should never depend on where they were born or what they earn."

Progress Made — And What Comes Next

Tobacco use has declined by 27% since 2010, contributing to reductions in lung cancer cases and deaths in some regions. Infection-related cancers are also decreasing thanks to expanding vaccination coverage and improved water, sanitation, and hygiene. Political commitment has strengthened, with 82% of countries now having national cancer control plans, up from 50% in 2010.

Emil Lou, an oncologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota, noted that improvements to treatments like immunotherapy have greatly increased patient survivability for some advanced cancers like lung cancer. But medical breakthroughs alone won't be enough. WHO said cancer control must move beyond medical treatment alone by placing people living with the disease and their families at the center of health systems. The report makes clear that the path forward demands not just scientific innovation, but a fundamental commitment to making that innovation available to everyone — regardless of where they live or what they earn.