ISLAMABAD: Cancer has evolved into one of the most pervasive public health emergencies of the modern era, not merely as a medical condition, but as a social and economic phenomenon that touches nearly every household across the globe.
According to a newly released report jointly published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an astounding 92 per cent of the world’s population is affected by the disease, whether through personal diagnosis or the illness of a close family member.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for urgent global action against cancer, warning that annual new cases could reach 35 million globally by 2050.https://t.co/P7XaOBTlXL#WHO #Cancer
— MarketForces Africa ® (@MarketforcesA) July 8, 2026
The study underscores a troubling reality: while scientific progress has extended survival in wealthier nations, a person’s chances of beating cancer remain heavily dictated by their geographical location and access to quality healthcare.
Describing the disease as a growing cross-border crisis, the report warns that without urgent and equitable intervention, cancer will continue to widen the gap between the world’s rich and poor.
20.6 million cases, 9.7 million deaths in 2024
According to the report, the global cancer burden has reached unprecedented levels. More than 20.6 million people were diagnosed with cancer worldwide in 2024, while the disease claimed 9.7 million lives, including over 4.8 million premature deaths among adults aged 30 to 69.
Among men, lung cancer remained the most commonly diagnosed cancer with 1.6 million new cases, followed by prostate cancer at 1.5 million. Among women, breast cancer continued to dominate with 2.4 million new diagnoses, while colorectal cancer ranked third among both genders, accounting for 1.1 million cases in men and 900,000 in women.
The report also highlighted the persistent burden of childhood cancer, with approximately 400,000 children and adolescents aged 0–19 developing cancer every year, a large share of which occurs in low- and middle-income countries.
The number of new cancer cases worldwide could rise to almost 35 million a year by 2050 unless countries take urgent action to strengthen prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, a new @WHO report warns.
👉 https://t.co/Nsw6vKkYr6 pic.twitter.com/w8FEIQFWaJ
— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) July 10, 2026
2.45 million children orphaned by cancer
Beyond mortality statistics, the report reveals a deeply troubling social consequence: 2.45 million children were orphaned globally in 2020 due to cancer deaths among parents. This includes 1.04 million children who lost their mothers and 1.41 million who lost their fathers.
Breast cancer alone was responsible for one in four maternal orphan cases, while cervical cancer accounted for one in five. Nearly half of these maternal orphans were in Asia, with more than one-third in Africa. Six countries, India, China, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Pakistan, together represented about 40 per cent of all maternal orphan cases worldwide.
The report further found that more than half of cancer patients and caregivers reported mental health problems, while at least 45 per cent faced severe financial hardship. Almost all caregivers experienced stress linked to unpaid caregiving, grief or social isolation, with many families pushed into medical bankruptcy, even in countries with universal health coverage.
Right now, someone is told they have cancer every 1.5 seconds. That’s today’s number — 20.6 million cases a year.
By 2050, WHO says it’ll be 35 million. That’s almost one new case every second.
Nearly 4 in 10 are preventable.
🚭 Tobacco control
💉 HPV vaccination
🥗 Healthy… pic.twitter.com/yqsOxkdhoP— HealthAsia (@farhadali) July 9, 2026
Deepening global inequalities
While high-income countries report higher cancer incidence due to better detection and longer life expectancies, they also show far better survival rates. Over 85 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer survive at least five years in wealthy nations, compared to fewer than 45 per cent in low-income countries. The disparity is even starker for childhood cancers, survival rates for lymphoid leukaemia reach 93 per cent in Europe, but plummet to just 19 per cent in parts of Africa.
The report identifies unequal access to diagnosis as a key driver. Nearly 47 per cent of the global population has little or no access to basic diagnostic services like pathology and imaging. In sub-Saharan Africa, there is roughly one pathologist per one million people, about 50 times fewer than in high-income countries.
Lung cancer surgery, for instance, is covered in public health benefit packages in 96 per cent of high-income countries, compared to only 19 per cent of low-income nations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says annual new cancer cases could surge from 20.6 million today to nearly 35 million by 2050 if countries fail to strengthen cancer prevention, early detection and treatment. 🌍⚠️
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— Medical News (@MedicalNewsPk) July 9, 2026
Cancer cases to rise 67 % by 2050
The report projects a staggering 66.7 per cent increase in annual cancer cases, reaching 35 million by 2050, driven by population growth, aging populations and changing exposure to risk factors. However, low-income countries are expected to face a 133 per cent surge in new cases, far outpacing their already fragile health systems’ capacity to respond.
Read Also: Younger Generations Ageing Faster, Raising Cancer Risk, Study Finds
Urgent call to action
The WHO-IARC report concludes that the future global cancer response depends not just on medical breakthroughs, but on whether nations can ensure equal access to prevention, early diagnosis and treatment. Without addressing these deep-rooted inequalities, where a person lives will continue to determine whether cancer becomes a survivable disease or a death sentence.
