Cancer survivorship is a large and growing part of the U.S. cancer experience. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimated 18.6 million U.S. cancer survivors as of May 2025, while its projections reach 22.4 million by 2035 and 26.0 million by 2040. These figures include people living after a diagnosis, whether treatment is complete, ongoing, or part of long-term follow-up.
Contents
- U.S. survivor population
- What the national counts measure
- Historical prevalence by time since diagnosis
- Liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia
- Testis cancer and crude prevalence
- Why the numbers matter to caregivers
U.S. survivor population
The NCI Office of Cancer Survivorship estimated that 18.6 million people in the United States were cancer survivors as of May 2025. That was about 5.4% of the U.S. population. The estimate describes the scale of survivorship at a specific point in time, rather than the number of people newly diagnosed during the year.
NCI projects that the U.S. cancer survivor population will reach 22.4 million by 2035. A separate NCI projection puts the number of people who will have lived at least five years after a cancer diagnosis at 19.2 million by 2040. NCI also projects 26.0 million total U.S. cancer survivors by 2040.
The projections are not measurements of people already counted at those future dates. They are forecasts of how the survivor population may change. For caregivers, the distinction matters: a growing total survivor population can include people who need short-term help during treatment, people managing late effects, and people living many years beyond diagnosis.
| Measure | Figure | Date or projection year | Source label |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. cancer survivors | 18.6 million | May 2025 estimate | NCI Office of Cancer Survivorship statistics |
| Share of U.S. population | 5.4% | May 2025 estimate | NCI Office of Cancer Survivorship statistics |
| U.S. cancer survivors | 22.4 million | 2035 projection | NCI Office of Cancer Survivorship statistics |
| Survivors living at least five years after diagnosis | 19.2 million | 2040 projection | NCI Office of Cancer Survivorship statistics |
| U.S. cancer survivors | 26.0 million | 2040 projection | NCI Office of Cancer Survivorship statistics |
What the national counts measure
Other national sources report different totals because cancer-survivorship statistics depend on definitions, data systems, and reference dates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 14.6 million people were alive after a cancer diagnosis in 2022. CDC says U.S. cancer survival estimates can help support the needs of people who have cancer now or had cancer in the past.
The CDC also reported 1,851,238 new cancer cases in the United States in 2022. In 2023, it reported 613,349 cancer deaths. These are different measures from the survivor count: new cases describe diagnoses in a year, deaths describe deaths in a year, and prevalence or survivorship counts describe people living after a diagnosis at a stated time.
NCI reported an estimated 18.1 million U.S. cancer survivors as of January 2022 and projects 26 million U.S. cancer survivors by 2040 in its Cancer Statistics materials. The January 2022 estimate and the May 2025 estimate should not be treated as a single time series without accounting for their different dates and methods.
NCI says the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry covers about 48% of the U.S. population. SEER figures therefore describe the populations and definitions used by the relevant tables; they are not automatically interchangeable with national totals.
Historical prevalence by time since diagnosis
The SEER Cancer Statistics Review 1975–2016 includes prevalence tables measured on January 1, 2016. The tables group people by how long it had been since diagnosis. In the liver and intrahepatic bile duct table, the all-races, both-sexes counts for people diagnosed less than 24 years earlier were 296,258 for 0 to less than 5 years, 106,837 for 5 to less than 10 years, 52,045 for 10 to less than 15 years, 27,542 for 15 to less than 20 years, and 12,276 for 20 to less than 24 years.
The same table reported 43,284 people in the estimated 24-years-or-more category and a complete prevalence estimate of 538,243. These values are historical SEER estimates from January 1, 2016. They should not be presented as current national counts or as independently verified legacy figures.
For acute lymphocytic leukemia, the all-races, both-sexes prevalence among people diagnosed 0 to less than 24 years earlier was 80,067 on January 1, 2016. The time-since-diagnosis groups were 56,127 for 0 to less than 5 years, 15,028 for 5 to less than 10 years, 5,865 for 10 to less than 15 years, 2,197 for 15 to less than 20 years, and 850 for 20 to less than 24 years. The complete prevalence estimate was 83,081.
These groups illustrate why a survivorship discussion should not focus only on recent diagnoses. The number of people living in each interval changes with incidence, survival, and the length of time people remain alive after diagnosis. The figures themselves do not explain the cause of any difference, so they should be used as counts rather than as causal comparisons.
Liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer
The SEER Cancer Statistics Review 1975–2016, Table 14.21, reported an all-races, both-sexes 0-to-less-than-24-year prevalence of 494,958 for liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer on January 1, 2016. The corresponding all-races counts were 217,057 for males and 277,901 for females.
The same historical table reported 418,596 for White people of both sexes, including 181,652 males and 236,944 females. It reported 54,045 for Black people of both sexes, including 24,734 males and 29,311 females. For Asian/Pacific Islander people, the both-sexes count was 17,495, including 8,433 males and 9,063 females. For Hispanic people, the both-sexes count was 20,462, including 8,817 males and 11,645 females.
| Population category | Both sexes | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|
| All races | 494,958 | 217,057 | 277,901 |
| White | 418,596 | 181,652 | 236,944 |
| Black | 54,045 | 24,734 | 29,311 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 17,495 | 8,433 | 9,063 |
| Hispanic | 20,462 | 8,817 | 11,645 |
The categories above are the labels used in the historical SEER table. They should be read as table-specific prevalence counts, not as a ranking of caregiver burden or as a complete description of every racial or ethnic group. A caregiver-support program may need information beyond the cancer type and demographic category, including current treatment status and the survivor’s time since diagnosis.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia
SEER Cancer Statistics Review 1975–2016, Table 13.30, reported 80,067 all-races, both-sexes cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia in the 0-to-less-than-24-year prevalence category on January 1, 2016. The all-races count was 56,224 for males and 23,843 for females.
For White people, the both-sexes count was 59,910, with 42,217 males and 17,693 females. The time-since-diagnosis counts for all races and both sexes were 56,127 for 0 to less than 5 years, 15,028 for 5 to less than 10 years, 5,865 for 10 to less than 15 years, 2,197 for 15 to less than 20 years, and 850 for 20 to less than 24 years. The complete prevalence estimate, including the table’s additional category, was 83,081.
These figures are useful for showing the distribution represented in this historical SEER table, but they do not provide an individual prognosis. They also do not measure the number of caregivers, the hours of care provided, or the level of emotional, financial, or practical support a family needs. Those questions require different data.
Testis cancer and crude prevalence
SEER Cancer Statistics Review 1975–2016, Table 25.15, reported an all-races, both-sexes 0-to-less-than-24-year prevalence of 644,572 for testis cancer on January 1, 2016. The complete prevalence estimate in that table was 822,242.
The supplied SEER prevalence tables also included age-specific crude prevalence values. One table reported 0.0456 for all races and both sexes at all ages, 0.0487 for males, and 0.0425 for females. Another table reported 0.1488 for all races and both sexes at all ages, 0.1858 for males, and 0.1129 for females. A further table reported 0.1536 for all races and both sexes at all ages.
Because the associated table context is not specified here, these crude values should remain attached to the label “SEER CSR 1975–2016 prevalence tables.” They should not be assigned to a particular cancer type or converted into percentages without the original table definitions. Crude prevalence is also not the same measure as the survivor totals reported by NCI or the post-diagnosis count reported by CDC.
Why the numbers matter to caregivers
Taken together, the national estimates and historical prevalence counts show why caregiver support must cover more than the initial treatment period. NCI’s 18.6 million estimate as of May 2025 and its 26.0 million projection for 2040 describe a large population with varied timelines. The projected 19.2 million people who will have lived at least five years after diagnosis by 2040 point to the continuing importance of long-term survivorship support.
The time-since-diagnosis categories in the historical SEER tables provide another useful lens. Liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer had counts in five separate intervals before the 24-years-or-more category, while acute lymphocytic leukemia had its own distribution across the same intervals. Those figures can help readers recognize that “survivor” does not describe one uniform stage of life.
For families, the appropriate support question depends on the current situation: whether the diagnosis is recent, whether treatment is ongoing, whether follow-up has continued for years, or whether long-term effects are shaping daily life. The statistics identify the scale and diversity of survivorship; they do not determine an individual’s care plan.