The world faces a 67% rise in annual cancer cases by 2050 — from about 21 million diagnoses in 2024 to 34 million a year — according to a global analysis by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO).
The report, in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, draws on GLOBOCAN data spanning 34 cancer types across 186 countries. In 2024 there were an estimated 9.8 million cancer deaths, and roughly 1 in 5 people will develop cancer in their lifetime.
What’s driving the surge
Most of the increase reflects population growth and aging — more people, living longer, means more cancer even if rates hold steady. On top of that sit modifiable risk factors: tobacco, infections, alcohol, excess weight and physical inactivity. The most common cancers in 2024 were lung (2.6M cases), breast (2.4M) and colorectal (2.0M).
An unequal burden
The starkest message is about inequality. Incidence varies four- to five-fold between regions, and outcomes diverge even more: women in Western Africa are about twice as likely to die of breast cancer as women elsewhere despite lower incidence — a gap driven by unequal access to diagnosis and treatment. The authors argue “cancer prevention must be every country’s top priority,” emphasizing tobacco cessation, infection prevention, alcohol reduction, weight management and exercise.