Cancer is one of the world’s leading causes of death, but its prevalence varies significantly from country to country.

In this infographic, Visual Capitalist's Marcus Lu shows age-standardized cancer incidence rates across 180+ countries, revealing striking contrasts between different regions. Understanding these differences sheds light on how lifestyles, environment, and healthcare reporting all contribute.

The data for this visualization comes from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). It presents age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) per 100,000 people, enabling a more fair comparison between regions with different population structures.

CountryAge-standardized
Rate (ASR)New cases
(both sexes, 2022)???????? Australia463212,332???????? New Zealand42738,157???????? Denmark37548,840???????? U.S.3672,380,189???????? Norway35840,305???????? Canada346292,098???????? Ireland34531,242???????? Netherlands341132,319???????? France339483,568???????? Hungary33766,340???????? Belgium32581,132???????? Croatia31328,809???????? Sweden31069,261???????? UK308454,954???????? Slovenia30514,402???????? Portugal29569,567???????? Switzerland29358,330???????? Cyprus2926,198???????? Latvia28911,458???????? Lithuania28816,413???????? New Caledonia2881,149???????? Italy285436,242???????? Slovakia28330,913???????? Estonia2838,050???????? Malta2832,855???????? Czechia28165,676???????? Uruguay28016,817???????? Finland27737,660???????? Romania277104,661???????? Spain275278,729???????? Germany274605,805???????? Luxembourg2733,440???????? Belarus27346,402???????? Iceland2681,777???????? Japan2671,005,157???????? Poland263208,900???????? Greece25965,703???????? Austria25950,682???????? Serbia25042,039???????? Russia248635,560???????? Israel24630,438???????? Samoa240400???????? Montenegro2382,739???????? Mongolia2366,699???????? South Korea235237,701???????? Moldova23214,816???????? Singapore23125,250???????? French Polynesia228877???????? Puerto Rico22713,778???????? Türkiye226240,013???????? Bulgaria22232,812???????? Cuba22149,688???????? Bosnia Herzegovina21914,265???????? Argentina216133,420???????? Brazil214627,193???????? Zimbabwe20817,725???????? North Macedonia2077,563???????? Barbados2051,120???????? French Guyana204589???????? South Africa203111,321???????? China2024,824,703???????? Armenia2029,520???????? Ukraine200155,239???????? Jamaica2007,500???????? Georgia19813,689???????? Namibia1943,453???????? Bahamas193955???????? Paraguay19213,783???????? Brunei Darussalam192925???????? Chile18959,876???????? Papua New Guinea18912,190???????? Trinidad and Tobago1873,931???????? Philippines185188,976???????? Venezuela18562,947???????? Costa Rica17813,325???????? Colombia178117,620???????? Fiji1751,601???????? Peru17472,827???????? Suriname1701,119???????? Lebanon16913,034???????? Guam167412???????? Dominican Republic16720,171???????? Saint Lucia167448???????? Egypt166150,578???????? North Korea16661,533???????? Kazakhstan16236,225???????? Albania1618,019???????? Malawi16019,846???????? Zambia16015,296???????? Panama1558,353???????? Laos1559,101???????? Thailand154183,541???????? Uganda15435,968???????? Ecuador15330,888???????? Jordan15312,328???????? Azerbaijan15218,503???????? Gaza Strip & West Bank1525,030???????? Vietnam151180,480???????? Morocco15063,609???????? Kenya14944,726???????? Iran149137,198???????? Bolivia14417,579???????? Guyana1431,225???????? Malaysia14251,650???????? Algeria14164,713???????? Haiti14113,860???????? Mexico141207,154???????? Tanzania14044,931???????? Mauritius1402,888???????? Mali14015,151???????? Syria13921,926???????? Cambodia13819,795???????? Côte d’Ivoire13721,352???????? Indonesia137408,661???????? Iraq13737,382???????? Myanmar13677,603???????? Tunisia13520,551???????? Eswatini1351,108???????? Solomon Islands135684???????? Angola13424,607???????? Nicaragua1348,409???????? Libya1328,171???????? Mozambique12926,578???????? Burundi1287,997???????? Honduras12810,815???????? El Salvador1279,799???????? Cameroon12619,564???????? Kyrgyzstan1267,266???????? Burkina Faso12514,538???????? Turkmenistan1236,807???????? Guatemala12217,801???????? Somalia12110,681???????? Ghana12027,385???????? Chad11810,185???????? Madagascar11721,297???????? Guinea1168,777???????? Lesotho1162,027???????? Botswana1152,317???????? Liberia1153,873???????? Belize115409???????? Gabon1141,875???????? Senegal11411,841???????? Bahrain1141,383???????? Nigeria114127,763???????? Uzbekistan11335,900???????? Kuwait1114,347???????? Vanuatu108250???????? Equatorial Guinea108926???????? Togo1085,491???????? Sri Lanka10733,243???????? Comoros107619???????? Afghanistan10624,275???????? Pakistan106185,748???????? Bangladesh106167,256???????? Oman1054,045???????? Mauritania1053,274???????? Maldives105479???????? UAE1055,526???????? Sao Tome and Principe105144???????? Ethiopia10580,334???????? DRC10352,612???????? Benin1037,496???????? Central African Republic1022,690???????? Guinea-Bissau1001,170???????? Eritrea1002,463???????? South Sudan996,874???????? India991,413,316???????? Sudan9628,586???????? Tajikistan926,467???????? Djibouti91805???????? Bhutan88638???????? Saudi Arabia8728,113???????? Cape Verde87435???????? Timor-Leste85828???????? Niger8411,593???????? Rwanda837,122???????? Yemen8316,525???????? Qatar821,733???????? Nepal8222,008???????? Congo, Republic of812,727???????? Gambia791,196???????? Sierra Leone361,918

Australia and New Zealand have the world’s highest cancer incidence rates, largely driven by these countries’ intense UV exposure which results in more cases of melanoma.

Both countries are in the Southern Hemisphere, where summer sun is especially strong due to higher solar angles and thinner ozone layers. The Earth is also slightly closer to the sun during this time, though this plays a minor role compared to ozone conditions and lifestyle factors such as spending more time outdoors.

Melanoma is a serious type of skin cancer that develops from pigment-producing cells called melanocytes and is more likely to spread than other skin cancers. Its primary cause is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light.

By contrast, many low- and middle-income countries have much lower reported cancer rates. For example, India (99), Sudan (96), and Niger (84) fall far below global leaders.

These lower figures may not always mean less cancer, but rather differences in detection and reporting.

There is good evidence that wealthier countries report higher cancer incidence rates, likely due to better detection and reporting methods.

For example, additional research from the WCRF has found a positive relationship between cancer rates and countries that score highly in the Human Development Index (HDI).

In short, developed countries generally report higher cancer rates, but this does not mean people in these countries are biologically more prone to cancer.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The $5.6T Pharmaceutical Industry in One Giant Chart on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.