Global Cancer Burden Projected to Rise 67% by 2050

global cancer incidence 2050 projection lung cancer aging population GLOBOCAN

New data from the American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer estimate that about 21 million people were diagnosed with cancer worldwide in 2024 and roughly 9.8 million died from the disease. The researchers say almost one in five people will develop a form of cancer during their lifetime, and about one in nine men and one in thirteen women are expected to die from it.

The Global Cancer Statistics 2026 report projects that new cancer cases will climb to 34 million by 2050 – a 67 % increase driven primarily by population ageing and growth. Lung cancer remains the leading type, with about 2.6 million new diagnoses in 2024 (13 % of all cases) and 1.9 million deaths (19 % of cancer deaths). The report highlights tobacco use, alcohol consumption, obesity, physical inactivity and certain infections as major preventable risk factors.

Entities

Alexandra Stavropoulou · American Cancer Society · American Cancer Society (ACS) · GLOBOCAN · Global Cancer Statistics 2026 · Global Cancer Statistics 2026 report · International Agency for Research on Cancer · International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) · Thanasis Dimopoulos · Thanos Dimopoulos · Theodoros Psaltopoulou · Theodorá Psaltopoulou

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 20 SOURCES] Approximately 21 million people were diagnosed with cancer worldwide in 2024. www.capital.gr · www.iatropedia.gr · www.lifo.gr · www.mononews.gr · www.protothema.gr · +15 more
[● 20 SOURCES] About 1.9 million people died from lung cancer in 2024, roughly 19 % of all cancer deaths. www.in.gr · www.reader.gr · www.rthess.gr · www.capital.gr · www.efsyn.gr · +15 more
[● 20 SOURCES] New cancer cases are projected to reach 34 million annually by 2050, a 67 % increase from 2024. www.in.gr · www.reader.gr · www.rthess.gr · www.capital.gr · www.efsyn.gr · +15 more
[● 20 SOURCES] The projected increase is driven by population ageing and growth. www.in.gr · www.reader.gr · www.rthess.gr · www.capital.gr · www.efsyn.gr · +15 more
[● 20 SOURCES] Lung cancer was the leading cancer type in 2024, with about 2.6 million new diagnoses (13% of all cases). www.in.gr · www.reader.gr · www.rthess.gr · www.capital.gr · www.efsyn.gr · +15 more
[● 20 SOURCES] About one in five people will develop a form of cancer during their lifetime. www.in.gr · www.reader.gr · www.rthess.gr · www.capital.gr · www.efsyn.gr · +15 more
[● 20 SOURCES] About one in nine men and one in thirteen women will die from cancer. www.in.gr · www.reader.gr · www.rthess.gr · www.capital.gr · www.efsyn.gr · +15 more
[● 20 SOURCES] Approximately 9.8 million people died from cancer worldwide in 2024. www.in.gr · www.reader.gr · www.rthess.gr · www.capital.gr · www.efsyn.gr · +15 more
[● 16 SOURCES] Lung cancer accounted for about 2.6 million new diagnoses and 1.9 million deaths in 2024, representing roughly 13 % of all new cancer cases and 19 % of cancer deaths. best-tv.gr · www.dimokratia.gr · www.medlabnews.gr · www.in.gr · boro.gr · +10 more
[● 16 SOURCES] The number of new cancer cases is projected to reach 34 million by 2050, a 67 % increase from 2024. best-tv.gr · www.dimokratia.gr · www.medlabnews.gr · www.in.gr · boro.gr · +10 more
[● 16 SOURCES] The projected increase in cancer cases is driven mainly by population ageing and growth. best-tv.gr · www.dimokratia.gr · www.medlabnews.gr · www.in.gr · boro.gr · +10 more
[○ 1 SOURCE] GLP‑1 receptor agonists were associated with a 41 % lower relative risk of obesity‑related cancers in a real‑world study of 229,467 obese adults over two years.