Cancer incidence statistics show how often new cancers are diagnosed, where the burden is concentrated, and how many people and families may need support. In the United States, the all-site incidence rate was 450.7 per 100,000 people per year based on 2019–2023 cases, while nearly 20 million new cancer cases were estimated worldwide in 2022. These figures describe different populations and measurement periods, so they should not be treated as interchangeable.
Contents
- Key U.S. incidence figures
- Incidence by sex and race or ethnicity
- Cancer incidence by age
- The most frequently diagnosed U.S. cancers
- Mortality, survival, and people living with cancer
- Global cancer incidence
Key U.S. incidence figures
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Statistics reports a U.S. cancer incidence rate of 445.8 per 100,000 men and women per year, based on cases diagnosed during 2018–2022. SEER Cancer Stat Facts reports a closely related all-site rate of 450.7 per 100,000 per year, based on 2019–2023 cases. The difference in the rates reflects different observation periods and statistical reporting, not necessarily a change in the underlying burden.
For a single year, the SEER age-adjusted incidence rate was 453.01 per 100,000 in 2023. The corresponding age-adjusted rates were 413.50 per 100,000 in 2020, 462.04 in 2021, and 452.77 in 2022. The 2020 figure reflects the COVID-era dip in observed incidence. SEER Cancer Stat Facts describes the U.S. age-adjusted incidence rate for all cancer sites as stable over 2014–2023.
The CDC Cancer Data and Statistics program recorded 1,851,238 new cancer cases in the United States in 2022. The United States Cancer Statistics system is the official federal source for cancer statistics. It combines incidence data from the CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries and the NCI’s SEER program, and its coverage includes the United States and Puerto Rico. NCI’s SEER program alone covers approximately 48% of the U.S. population for incidence and survival data.
Incidence is a count or rate of new diagnoses during a defined period. It is different from prevalence, which describes people living with a prior cancer diagnosis, and from mortality, which describes deaths. Keeping those measures separate helps caregivers interpret what a statistic can—and cannot—say about the needs of a particular person.
Incidence by sex and race or ethnicity
SEER Cancer Stat Facts gives an all-site U.S. incidence rate of 488.3 per 100,000 for men of all races combined and 426.2 per 100,000 for women of all races combined. The reported rates also vary across the listed racial and ethnic groups.
| Group | Incidence rate per 100,000 per year |
|---|---|
| Hispanic men | 379.4 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native men | 454.9 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander men | 309.8 |
| Non-Hispanic Black men | 539.7 |
| Non-Hispanic White men | 522.3 |
| Hispanic women | 368.3 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native women | 440.1 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander women | 327.0 |
| Non-Hispanic Black women | 411.5 |
| Non-Hispanic White women | 454.9 |
These are population-level, age-adjusted rates from SEER Cancer Stat Facts. They are not individual risk estimates and do not explain why rates differ. A caregiver should not use a group rate to predict a diagnosis for one family member without considering that person’s clinical information and care team’s guidance.
The NCI Cancer Statistics mortality figures provide additional context about unequal outcomes. The U.S. cancer mortality rate was 171.5 per 100,000 men compared with 126.3 per 100,000 women. Non-Hispanic Black men had the highest reported U.S. cancer mortality rate at 203.6 per 100,000, while non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander women had the lowest at 83.1 per 100,000. Mortality is not incidence, but it helps show why diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and caregiver support cannot be understood from new-case counts alone.
Cancer incidence by age
Cancer diagnoses are distributed unevenly across age groups. SEER Cancer Stat Facts reports the following shares of new U.S. cancer-of-any-site cases:
- Before age 20: 0.9%
- Ages 20–34: 2.7%
- Ages 35–44: 4.9%
- Ages 45–54: 10.7%
- Ages 55–64: 22.9%
- Ages 65–74: 30.8%
- Ages 75–84: 19.9%
- After age 84: 7.3%
The median age at diagnosis for cancer of any site in the United States is 67, according to SEER Cancer Stat Facts. The age distribution matters for caregiver planning because support needs can differ substantially when a diagnosis affects a child, a working-age adult, or an older adult managing other health conditions.
For children and adolescents ages 0–19, the NCI Cancer Statistics estimate 14,690 new U.S. cancer diagnoses in 2025. The same source estimates 1,650 cancer deaths in that age group in 2025. These are estimates for 2025, not recorded totals for a completed reporting period.
Deaths are concentrated somewhat later in life than diagnoses. SEER Cancer Stat Facts reports that cancer-of-any-site deaths occur before age 20 in 0.3% of cases, at ages 20–34 in 0.7%, ages 35–44 in 1.8%, ages 45–54 in 5.5%, ages 55–64 in 17.2%, ages 65–74 in 29.4%, ages 75–84 in 28.2%, and after age 84 in 16.9%. The median age at death is 73.
The most frequently diagnosed U.S. cancers
SEER Cancer Stat Facts estimates 2,114,850 new U.S. cancer cases of any site in 2026 and 626,140 cancer deaths of any site. These are forecasts or estimates for 2026, rather than final counts.
The ten common cancer categories listed by estimated new cases are shown below. The death figures are also 2026 estimates from SEER Cancer Stat Facts.
| Rank | Cancer type | Estimated new cases | Estimated deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prostate | 333,830 | 36,320 |
| 2 | Female breast | 321,910 | 42,140 |
| 3 | Lung and bronchus | 229,410 | 124,990 |
| 4 | Colorectal | 158,850 | 55,230 |
| 5 | Melanoma of the skin | 112,000 | 8,510 |
| 6 | Bladder | 84,530 | 17,870 |
| 7 | Kidney and renal pelvis | 80,450 | 15,160 |
| 8 | Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 79,320 | 19,970 |
| 9 | Uterine | 68,270 | 14,450 |
| 10 | Leukemia | 67,790 | 23,910 |
The largest estimated new-case count is prostate cancer at 333,830. Female breast cancer is ranked second at 321,910, followed by lung and bronchus cancer at 229,410. Lung and bronchus cancer has the largest estimated death count in this table, at 124,990. These comparisons describe different counts; they do not establish an individual prognosis.
The NCI Cancer Statistics estimates that prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers together account for 48% of all cancers diagnosed in men in 2025. Breast, lung, and colorectal cancers together account for 51% of all new cancer diagnoses in women in 2025. Those percentages are source estimates for 2025 and should not be combined with the 2026 SEER estimates as though they came from the same forecast.
Mortality, survival, and people living with cancer
SEER Cancer Stat Facts reports a U.S. all-site cancer death rate of 143.2 per 100,000 men and women per year based on 2020–2024 deaths. For 2024 alone, the age-adjusted death rate was 139.10 per 100,000. The age-adjusted death rate for all sites fell by an average of 1.5% each year over 2015–2024, and the NCI Cancer Statistics source also reports that the U.S. cancer death rate has declined since the early 1990s.
The SEER all-site death rates were 168.3 per 100,000 for men of all races combined and 124.7 per 100,000 for women of all races combined. Among men, the reported rates were 121.9 for Hispanic men, 175.8 for non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native men, 104.2 for non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander men, 198.6 for non-Hispanic Black men, and 175.2 for non-Hispanic White men. Among women, the rates were 92.3 for Hispanic women, 139.5 for non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native women, 81.6 for non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander women, 141.1 for non-Hispanic Black women, and 129.8 for non-Hispanic White women.
The five-year relative survival rate for cancer of any site is 70.5%, according to SEER Cancer Stat Facts. Survival is a population statistic and does not predict the outcome for a particular diagnosis, stage, treatment plan, or person.
The NCI Cancer Statistics source estimated 18.1 million cancer survivors in the United States as of January 2022. It projects that the number will reach 26 million by 2040. SEER Cancer Stat Facts estimated that 18,640,213 people were living with cancer of any site in the United States in 2023. These figures use different dates and should be read as separate estimates.
For caregivers, prevalence and survivorship figures help explain why support may continue beyond initial treatment. A household may be coordinating appointments during active treatment, adapting to long-term effects, or supporting a survivor’s return to daily activities. The statistics do not measure those tasks, but they show the large population living with cancer-related care needs.
Global cancer incidence
The GLOBOCAN 2022 World Fact Sheet reports 19,976,499 new cancer cases worldwide in 2022 and 9,743,832 cancer deaths. It also reports 53,504,187 five-year prevalent cancer cases. NCI Cancer Statistics summarizes the worldwide 2022 totals as almost 20 million new cases and 9.7 million cancer-related deaths.
For both sexes, the global age-standardized incidence rate was 196.9 per 100,000 in 2022, and the risk of developing cancer before age 75 was 20.0%. The incidence rate was 212.6 per 100,000 for males and 186.3 per 100,000 for females. The global number of new cases was 10,311,610 for males and 9,664,889 for females. The corresponding before-age-75 risks were 21.8% for males and 18.5% for females.
The global age-standardized mortality rate was 91.7 per 100,000 for both sexes, 109.8 per 100,000 for males, and 76.9 per 100,000 for females, according to the GLOBOCAN 2022 World Fact Sheet. These global age-standardized figures are not directly comparable with every U.S. rate above because reporting systems, populations, and standardization methods differ.
Lung cancer ranked first globally by incidence for both sexes in 2022. Breast cancer ranked first by incidence among women globally, while prostate cancer ranked first among men globally. NCI Cancer Statistics reports that annual worldwide new cancer cases are expected to rise to 33 million by 2050, with annual cancer-related deaths expected to rise to 18.2 million. Those 2050 figures are forecasts, not observed totals.
For families and caregiver-support organizations, the central message is that cancer incidence is measured in several ways: new diagnoses, rates, age distribution, cancer type, survival, prevalence, and deaths. Reading each figure with its geography, measurement period, source, and estimate status keeps the statistics useful without turning a population-level number into an individual prediction.