WHO warns global cancer cases to rise 66% by 2050

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer warn that global cancer incidence will increase by 66.7 % by 2050, rising from about 20.6 million new cases per year in 2024 to roughly 35 million. The rise is driven by population aging, demographic growth and higher exposure to risk factors such as pollution.

Low‑ and middle‑income countries will bear the greatest burden. The report projects a 125.2 % increase in Africa and a 109.8 % rise in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Survival gaps are stark: five‑year survival for childhood and breast cancers exceeds 85 % in high‑income nations but falls below 45 % in the poorest regions, largely because of limited diagnostic tools and late‑stage presentation.

The WHO calls on governments to boost funding for prevention, early detection and treatment, and to reduce inequities that make a person’s place of birth determine their chances of surviving cancer. Regional data echo the global trend: Argentina recorded about 130 000 new cases in 2020 and nearly 140 000 in 2024, while Spain expects a 2 % rise in diagnoses in 2026. The organization stresses that without coordinated action, the disease will become an even larger health, economic and social challenge worldwide.