WHO predicts global cancer cases to nearly double by 2050

The World Health Organization, together with the International Agency for Research on Cancer, estimates that new cancer diagnoses will rise from roughly 20.6 million in 2022/2024 to about 35 million by 2050 – an increase of 70‑77 percent and almost a doubling of the global burden. Cancer already ranks as the second leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for around 10 million fatalities each year.

The surge is driven by an aging population, higher exposure to tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy diets, obesity, physical inactivity and environmental pollutants. The WHO warns that without urgent preventive measures, the trend will continue, stressing the need for a people‑centered approach, expanded early‑detection programmes and broader screening, especially in low‑income regions that are projected to face the sharpest rise.

Regional examples include New York State, where annual diagnoses are expected to exceed 3.5 million by 2050, and the Bahamas, which is expanding public‑health screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers. The agency calls for healthier lifestyles and stronger health‑system capacity to mitigate the looming rise.