Lung Cancer Rates by Country 2024

Lung cancer rates by country will vary and are typically high, as lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the world. There are many different factors that increase the risk of this cancer, with developed countries having the highest rates of lung cancer in the world.

It is estimated that approximately 2.2 million people are diagnosed with lung cancer. It is also the second leading cancer in women around the world, although more men than women are cigarette smokers.

Lung Cancer Rates by Country (per 100,000 people)

Hungary and Serbia have the highest rates of lung cancer in the world when examining lung cancer rates by country from data in 2020. These numbers indicate rates per 100,000 people, or the number of diagnoses per 100,000, and not actual diagnoses annually.

Factors Impacting Lung Cancer Rates

Lung cancer is influenced by a number of key factors, with cigarette smoking being a leading cause. Still, countries with a high rate of smokers in their country may not make the top 10 list of high lung cancer rates by country.

The Netherlands, for example, has a very high rate of smokers but is not on the list of high lung cancer rates. Denmark, however, does have a high prevalence of cigarette smoking and is in the tenth position on this reported list of lung cancer rates by country. China additionally has a high rate of smokers, with men being 22 times more likely to smoke than women, and they are not in the top 10 list either.

Outdoor and indoor pollution are the leading causes of lung cancer in a country. It is air pollution that contributes to the incidence of lung cancer and multiple diagnoses in any country. Air pollution can be caused by an industrial setting, with chronic exposure to air pollution, such as in the workplace, being a leading cause of a diagnosis.

Asbestos exposure, for example, is a leading cause of lung cancer and is caused by industrial or home exposures. This kind of exposure would be considered indoor pollution. Asbestos exposure can happen in the home. Some lung cancer rates by country will see increases annually. This may be the result of a diagnosis occurring 20 years after the first exposure to the pollutant, such as with asbestos, where lung cancer may not be diagnosed for a decade after prolonged exposure.

Other factors of indoor pollution include fuel consumption such as kerosene, coal, and wood burning. Where high rates of poverty exist, there are also going to be high rates of lung cancer, regardless of country or region. It is estimated that approximately 3 billion people in the world still use an open fire to cook regularly, and there will be higher lung cancer rates here.