World cancer statistics: Overall
This section lists the 50 countries with the highest overall cancer rates in the world.
Denmark has the highest rate in the world. The UK has the 22nd highest cancer rate and every year 266.9 out of every 100,000 people in the UK develop the disease.
Scientists estimate about a third of the most common cancers in the UK could be prevented though diet, physical activity and weight.
| Rank | Country |
Cases per 100,000 people |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark | 326.1 |
| 2 | Ireland | 317.0 |
| 3 | Australia | 314.1 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 309.2 |
| 5 | Belgium | 306.8 |
| 6 | France (Metropolitan) | 300.4 |
| 7 | USA | 300.2 |
| 8 | Norway | 299.1 |
| 9 | Canada | 296.6 |
| 10 | Czech Republic | 295.0 |
| 11 | Israel | 288.3 |
| 12 | The Netherlands | 286.8 |
| 13 | Luxembourg | 284.0 |
| 14 | Hungary | 282.9 |
| 15 | Iceland | 282.2 |
| 16 | Germany | 282.1 |
| 17 | Uruguay | 280.3 |
| 18 | Italy | 274.3 |
| 19 | French Polynesia | 269.6 |
| 20 | Switzerland | 269.3 |
| 21 | Slovenia | 267.9 |
| 22 | UK | 266.9 |
| 23 | Croatia | 263.1 |
| 24 | Republic of Korea | 262.4 |
| 25 | Slovakia | 260.6 |
| 26 | Sweden | 252.1 |
| 27 | Finland | 249.8 |
| 28 | Lithuania | 244.4 |
| 29 | Chinese Taipei | 244.1 |
| 30 | Mongolia | 242.2 |
| 31 | Spain | 241.4 |
| 32 | France (Martinique) | 234.9 |
| 33 | Austria | 232.7 |
| 34 | Estonia | 230.4 |
| 34 | Latvia | 230.4 |
| 36 | FYR Macedonia | 225.1 |
| 37 | Bulgaria | 224.7 |
| 38 | Portugal | 223.2 |
| 39 | Poland | 222.9 |
| 40 | Serbia | 218.9 |
| 41 | New Caledonia | 218.5 |
| 42 | Belarus | 213.1 |
| 43 | Malta | 211.4 |
| 44 | Barbados | 207.9 |
| 45 | Armenia | 207.5 |
| 46 | Argentina | 206.2 |
| 47 | Romania | 205.1 |
| 48 | Montenegro | 204.3 |
| 49 | Albania | 202.8 |
| 50 | South African Republic | 202.0 |
Global rates for women's cancer
Global rates for breast cancer
Global rates for oesophageal cancer
Lifestyle factors that can reduce cancer risk
All estimates and names of countries and which territories constitute counties are from GLOBOCAN version 1.2 December 2010, a World Health Organization project. All cancer rates are adjusted for age and are expressed per 100,000 people.
Ferlay J, Shin HR, Bray F, Forman D, Mathers C and Parkin DM. GLOBOCAN 2008, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 10 [Internet]. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2010. Available from: http://globocan.iarc.fr
Page last reviewed: September 2012
Page next due for review: September 2013
The information on this page is based on the findings of our Expert Report and is covered by the Information Standard.
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