Data extracted in September 2025
Planned article update: October 2026
Highlights
Lung cancer accounted for 4.4% of all deaths in the EU and for around a fifth (19.8%) of all cancer-related deaths in the EU in 2022.
In 2022, at least 4.3% of all female deaths in Malta, Ireland and Luxembourg were from breast cancer; by contrast, this share was 2.1% in Bulgaria.
Among the EU countries, the share of male deaths from prostate cancer in 2022 ranged from 1.6% in Romania and 1.7% in Bulgaria up to 4.4% in Denmark, 4.6% in Sweden and 4.8% in Slovenia.
This article presents an overview of European Union (EU) statistics related to a selection of the most common types of cancer: trachea, bronchus and lung cancer (hereafter referred to as lung cancer); cancer of the colon, rectosigmoid junction, rectum, anus and anal canal (hereafter referred to as colorectal cancer); breast cancer; and prostate cancer. For each of these 4 types of cancer, an analysis is provided that focuses on deaths from cancer. Accompanying articles on cancer statistics and on cancer screening provide a general overview of cancers and their prevention. The second part of this article summarises the developments since 2013 in death rates from some less common types of cancer.
This article is included in a set of statistical articles concerning specific health conditions in the EU which forms part of an online publication on Health in the European Union – facts and figures.
Causes of death
Lung cancer
Within the EU, lung cancer accounted for around a fifth of all deaths from cancer
In 2022, nearly a quarter of a million (228 987) people died from lung cancer in the EU, almost a fifth (19.8%) of all deaths from cancer and 4.4% of the total number of deaths – see Table 1. The share of all deaths attributed to lung cancer was 5.7% among males, which was almost twice as high as the share (3.1%) recorded for females.
Among the EU countries, the share of the total number of deaths from lung cancer in 2022 peaked in the Netherlands (6.0%), followed by Denmark (5.8%), Hungary (5.7%) and Ireland (5.5%). By contrast, shares of less than 3.0% were recorded in Lithuania (2.7%) and Bulgaria (2.5%).
In 2022, the share of male deaths from lung cancer peaked in Greece (at 7.3%), followed by Spain (7.2%). Among females, the highest share of deaths from lung cancer was recorded in Denmark (6.0%); the Netherlands and Ireland were the only other EU countries with shares of more than 5.0% among females.
Denmark and Sweden were the only EU countries where there was a higher share of female deaths than male deaths from lung cancer in 2022; in both countries this difference was less than 1.0 percentage point. Among the 25 EU countries where there was a higher share of male deaths than female deaths from lung cancer, the largest difference was reported in Greece: the share of male deaths was 5.0 pp higher than for females. Spain, Cyprus and Malta also reported shares of male deaths from lung cancer that were more than 4.0 pp higher than the share for females. The narrowest difference (with a higher share for males) was reported in Ireland, where the share of male deaths from lung cancer was 0.8 pp higher than the share for females.
In 2022, the EU standardised death rate for lung cancer was 46.9 per 100 000 inhabitants; this was the highest rate among the cancerous causes of death, surpassing the rates for the other 3 types of cancer presented in the first part of this article. An analysis by sex and by age shows large differences in standardised death rates for lung cancer: the rate for males was 68.8 per 100 000 inhabitants, which was 2.3 times as high as the rate for females (30.0 per 100 000 inhabitants), although there are signs of this gap narrowing in recent years. As is typical for cancers as a whole, the standardised death rate for lung cancer among people aged 65 years or over (183.3 per 100 000 inhabitants aged 65 or over) was much higher than the rate among younger people (13.8 per 100 000 inhabitants younger than 65 years).
Across the EU countries, by far the highest standardised death rate for lung cancer in 2022 was recorded in Hungary (77.7 per 100 000 inhabitants), followed by Croatia with a rate of 64.5 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. Sweden was the only EU country to record a standardised death rate for lung cancer that was below 35.0 per 100 000 inhabitants, at 31.7 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants.
Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_aro) and (hlth_cd_asdr2)
An analysis by sex reveals that the highest standardised death rate for lung cancer for both sexes in 2022 was recorded in Hungary, with 110.4 deaths per 100 000 male inhabitants and 56.1 deaths per 100 000 female inhabitants. The lowest standardised death rate for lung cancer among males was recorded in Sweden, where the rate was 31.6 per 100 000 male inhabitants; this was considerably lower than in any of the other EU countries, as the next lowest rate was 45.0 per 100 000 male inhabitants in Luxembourg. For females, the lowest standardised death rate for lung cancer was recorded in Lithuania (14.1 per 100 000 female inhabitants).
Colorectal cancer
Cyprus and Greece had the lowest share of deaths from colorectal cancer
In 2022, 132 644 people died from colorectal cancer in the EU, equivalent to 11.5% of all deaths from cancer and 2.6% of the total number of deaths from any cause – see Table 2. The share of deaths attributed to colorectal cancer was 2.9% for males and 2.3% for females, representing a much narrower difference compared with that for lung cancer.
Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_aro) and (hlth_cd_asdr2)
In 2022, the proportion of deaths attributed to colorectal cancer peaked among the EU countries in Croatia and Hungary (both 3.6%), followed by Spain (3.3%). At the other end of the range, the lowest share of deaths from colorectal cancer was reported in Cyprus (1.7%), with the next highest share recorded in Greece (2.0%).
By sex, the lowest shares of deaths attributed to colorectal cancer among males in 2022 were recorded in Cyprus, Latvia and Lithuania (all 2.2%), while Cyprus recorded the lowest share for females (1.3%). Croatia (4.3%) and Hungary (4.2%) recorded the highest shares of male deaths attributed to colorectal cancer; Hungary also recorded the highest share for females, with 3.0% of female deaths. In all EU countries, the share of deaths attributed to colorectal cancer was higher among males than among females, although in the northern EU countries the differences were quite narrow, particularly in Estonia, Denmark and Latvia (all had a difference of less than 0.1pp). The widest gap was reported in Croatia, where the share of male deaths from colorectal cancer was 1.4 pp higher than that for females.
In 2022, the EU standardised death rate for colorectal cancer was 26.9 per 100 000 inhabitants. An analysis by sex shows some differences in the standardised death rates for colorectal cancer: the EU rate was 1.7 times as high for males as for females; this difference was nevertheless considerably lower than the corresponding ratio recorded for lung cancer.
As is typical for cancers as a whole, the EU’s standardised death rate in 2022 for colorectal cancer among people aged 65 years or over was substantially higher than it was among younger people. When expressed as a ratio, the standardised death rate for people aged 65 years or over was 17 times as high as it was for younger people, a higher ratio than for lung cancer (13 times as high) and also higher than the ratio for all cancers (15 times as high).
As with lung cancer, the highest standardised death rate for colorectal cancer among the EU countries in 2022 was recorded in Hungary (50.4 per 100 000 inhabitants), followed by Croatia (48.2 per 100 000 inhabitants) and Slovakia (39.0 per 100 000 inhabitants), these were the only countries to record a standardised death rate of more than 35 for colorectal cancer. Cyprus (16.4 per 100 000 inhabitants) was the only EU country to record a standardised death rate for colorectal cancer that was below 20.0 per 100 000 inhabitants; Belgium recorded the next lowest standardised death rate from colorectal cancer at 20.8 per 100 000 inhabitants.
In 2022, Hungary, Croatia and Slovakia recorded the highest standardised death rates for colorectal cancer for both males (73.3, 69.9 and 56.7 deaths per 100 000 males, respectively) and females (35.8, 33.7 and 27.7 deaths per 100 000 females, respectively). Cyprus recorded the lowest standardised death rate for males (22.6 deaths per 100 000 males) and for females (11.0 deaths per 100 000 females). In all EU countries, standardised death rates for colorectal cancer were higher among males than among females. The narrowest gap was recorded in Sweden (where the rate for males was 6.9 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants higher than that for females). By contrast, in Hungary and Croatia, the rates for males were, respectively, 37.5 and 36.3 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants higher than those for females.
Breast cancer
In Luxembourg, Ireland and Malta, more than 4.0% of all deaths among females were from breast cancer
In 2022, 85 400 people died from breast cancer in the EU, of which 1 100 were males and the vast majority (85 400) were females. As such, deaths from breast cancer made up 7.4% of all deaths from cancer; among females, breast cancer accounted for 16.4% of all deaths from cancer.
Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_aro) and (hlth_cd_asdr2)
In 2022, breast cancer was the underlying cause of death for 1.7% of the total number of deaths in the EU (see Table 3); among females, breast cancer accounted for 3.3% of all deaths. Across the EU countries, the share of deaths from breast cancer among females in 2022 was highest at 4.8% in Luxembourg, followed by Ireland (4.5%) and Malta (4.3%). By contrast, the lowest shares were 2.1% in Bulgaria and 2.2% in Croatia. There were 4 countries, where the share of deaths from breast cancer among males was around 0.1%: France, Greece, Slovenia and Slovakia.
The EU standardised death rate for breast cancer was 30.4 per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022 for females and 0.5 per 100 000 inhabitants for males. As is typical for cancers as a whole, the standardised death rate for breast cancer among people aged 65 years or over (64.0 per 100 000 inhabitants) was much higher than it was among people younger than 65 (6.2 per 100 000 inhabitants). Nevertheless, this age difference was somewhat narrower than for cancers in general: the standardised death rate for breast cancer among people aged 65 years or over was 10 times as high as it was for younger people, compared with 15 times as high for all cancers.
In 2022, the highest standardised death rate for breast cancer among females was recorded in Hungary (36.5 deaths per 100 000 female inhabitants), followed by Slovakia (36.1 per 100 000 female inhabitants). Standardised death rates for breast cancer for females were below 30.0 per 100 000 in 12 EU countries and below 25.0 per 100 000 in 3 of them: Spain (22.3 per 100 000 females), Sweden (23.8 per 100 000 females) and Finland (24.9 per 100 000 females). Among males, the standardised death rate for breast cancer ranged from 0.0 deaths per 100 000 male inhabitants in Croatia, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta to 0.8 deaths per 100 000 males in Hungary and Slovakia.
In 15 of the 27 EU countries, the standardised death rate for females for breast cancer in 2022 was higher than that for lung cancer; the gap was particularly large in Malta, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia, where it ranged between 13 and 17 more deaths from breast cancer per 100 000 female inhabitants. On the other hand, in Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands and Croatia there were 12 to 20 more deaths per 100 000 female inhabitants from lung cancer than from breast cancer.
Figure 1 indicates the availability of equipment solely intended for conducting mammographies. Relative to the size of population, this type of equipment was most widely available in 2023 in Greece (7.5 units per 100 000 inhabitants; estimate) and Cyprus (6.4 units per 100 000 inhabitants). The availability of mammography units was also relatively high – within the range of 3.4 to 3.7 units per 100 000 inhabitants – in Italy, Belgium (2020 data), Bulgaria, Croatia and Finland. By contrast, there were fewer than 1.0 mammography units per 100 000 inhabitants in France and Germany (data for both countries only cover hospitals).
The largest increases between 2013 and 2023 in the availability of mammography units relative to the size of population were recorded in Greece and Cyprus, both up 1.8 units per 100 000 inhabitants. By contrast, the availability of these units fell in 7 of the 24 EU countries for which data are available (see Figure 1), with the largest decrease registered in Poland (note that there is a break in series).
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Prostate cancer
In Sweden, the standardised death rate for prostate cancer for males was higher than the equivalent rate for lung cancer
In 2022, 68 277 males died from prostate cancer in the EU (see Table 4), equivalent to 10.7% of all male deaths from cancer and 2.7% of the total number of male deaths from any cause.
Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_aro) and (hlth_cd_asdr2)
Among the EU countries, the share of deaths among males that were attributed to prostate cancer in 2022 was as low as 1.6% in Romania and 1.7% in Bulgaria, and as high as 4.4% in Denmark, 4.6% in Sweden and 4.8% in Slovenia.
In 2022, the EU standardised death rate for prostate cancer was 35.1 per 100 000 male inhabitants, slightly lower than the equivalent rate for colorectal cancer (35.7 per 100 000 male inhabitants). As is common for cancers, the standardised death rate for prostate cancer for men aged 65 years or over was many times higher than it was for younger males. Nevertheless, the gap between these rates was particularly wide for prostate cancer: when expressed as a ratio, the rate for men aged 65 years or over was 83 times as high as it was for younger males (aged less than 65 years).
Some of the highest standardised death rates for prostate cancer in 2022 were recorded across the northern EU countries, with rates above 45.0 per 100 000 male inhabitants recorded for all 3 Baltic countries and 2 of the 3 Nordic EU countries (Denmark and Sweden); Slovenia, Croatia, Poland and Slovakia also recorded rates above 45.0. There were 3 southern EU countries – Malta, Cyprus and Italy – that reported death rates for prostate cancer below 25.0 per 100 000 males; the lowest rate was in Malta (20.2 per 100 000 males).
As noted above, the standardised death rate in 2022 for prostate cancer in the EU was slightly lower than the equivalent rate for males for colorectal cancer. However, this was the case in a minority (12) of EU countries while the reverse situation was observed in the remaining 15 EU countries. Sweden was the only EU country where the standardised death rate for males for prostate cancer was higher than the equivalent rate for males for lung cancer.
Cancer trends since 2013, for selected cancers, analysed by age and sex
This second section looks at developments since 2013 in standardised death rates for various types of less common cancers. In these figures specific cancers not previously discussed are presented, while information on lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancers, or residual categories have been included in the text only.
Figures 2 and 3 each show the percentage change for 3 types of cancer with increasing standardised death rates and 3 with decreasing standardised death rates for people aged 65 years or over, the first figure for older men and the second for older women. For both sexes, stomach cancer recorded the fastest decreases, while cancer of the lip, oral cavity or pharynx was among the fastest increasing cancers for both sexes. Cancer of the larynx was one of the fastest increasing cancers for older women but also one of the fastest decreasing cancers for older men.
Types of cancer with increasing and decreasing death rates among older men
The standardised death rate from pancreatic cancer in the EU increased 4.8% between 2013 and 2022 among men aged 65 years or over – see Figure 2. The rate from skin cancer increased by 2.5%, however there was a 5.3% spike between 2021 and 2022; between 2013 and 2021 the overall trend of skin cancer was on the decline (down 2.7%). During the same period the rate for cancer of the lip, oral cavity or pharynx increased 1.4%. Along with breast cancer (an increase of 1.9%; data not shown in Figure 2), these 4 types of cancer recorded the fastest increases between 2013 and 2022 in standardised death rates from specific cancers among men aged 65 years or over.
The standardised death rate from stomach cancer in the EU decreased 27.1% between 2013 and 2022 among men aged 65 years or over. The rate from cancer of the larynx decreased 14.4% during the same period, while the rate for bladder cancer decreased 13.5%. Along with colorectal and lung cancers (both with decreases of 16.1%), these 5 types of cancer recorded the fastest decreases between 2013 and 2022 in standardised death rates from specific cancers among men aged 65 years or over.
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Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_asdr2)
Types of cancer with increasing and decreasing death rates among older women
The standardised death rate from cancer of the lip, oral cavity or pharynx in the EU increased 15.2% between 2013 and 2022 among women aged 65 years or over – see Figure 3. The rate from cancer of the larynx increased 10.3% during the same period, while the rate for cancer of the oesophagus increased 9.4%. Along with lung cancer (an increase of 24.1%; data not shown in Figure 3), these 4 types of cancer recorded the fastest increases between 2013 and 2022 in standardised death rates from specific cancers among women aged 65 years or over.
As for older men, the type of cancer with the fastest decrease in the standardised death rate in the EU between 2013 and 2022 among women aged 65 years or over was stomach cancer, for which the rate fell 28.4%. The rate from cancer of the thyroid gland decreased 17.4% during the same period, while the rate for cancer of the kidney (except renal pelvis) decreased 16.9%. These 3 types of cancer recorded the fastest decreases between 2013 and 2022 in standardised death rates from specific cancers among women aged 65 years or over.
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Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_asdr2)
Figures 4 and 5 each show 6 types of cancer with decreasing death rates for people younger than 65 years, the 1st figure for younger men and the 2nd for younger women. For both sexes, cancer of the larynx recorded the fastest decreases, while cancer of the kidney (except renal pelvis) and Leukaemia were both present among the fastest decreasing cancers for both sexes. Between 2013 and 2022, all types of cancer in the European Shortlist declined amongst males and females under 65. The only exception was pancreatic cancer among younger women, which increased by 0.6% and is not included in figure 5. below.
Types of cancer with decreasing death rates among younger males
Among males younger than 65 years, the standardised death rate from cancer of the larynx in the EU decreased 42.2% between 2013 and 2022, the fastest decrease among all types of cancer for this demographic group; the next fastest decrease was for lung cancer (down 39.0%; data not shown in Figure 4). The rate for cancer of the lip, oral cavity or pharynx decreased 30.8% during the same period, followed by bladder cancer (down 30.7%), stomach cancer (down 28.1%), cancer of the kidney (except renal pelvis; down 26.1%) and leukaemia (cancer of blood-forming tissues; down 25.5%) – see Figure 4. In addition, there was a 30.8% decrease for other malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissues.
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Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_asdr2)
Types of cancer with decreasing death rates among younger females
Among females younger than 65 years, the standardised death rate from cancer of the larynx in the EU decreased 32.0% between 2013 and 2022, the fastest decrease among all types of cancer for this demographic group. The rate for cancer of the kidney (except renal pelvis) decreased 29.2% during the same period, followed by leukaemia (down 26.0%), Hodgkin disease and lymphomas (down 24.6%), cancer of the skin (down 22.1%) and cancer of the thyroid gland (down 21.1%) – see Figure 5. In addition, there was a 31.6% decrease for other malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissues, which is a residual category and 21.4% decrease for lung cancer (data not shown in Figure 5).
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Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_asdr2)
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
Key concepts
The number of deaths from a particular cause of death can be expressed relative to the size of the population. A standardised death rate (rather than a crude death rate) can be compiled which is independent of the age and sex structure of a population: this is done as most causes of death vary significantly by age and according to sex and the standardisation facilitates comparisons of rates over time and between countries.
An index change represents the development of certain statistical indicators over time and is calculated as a percentage change between two or more periods. The index number abstracts from the real values (e.g. the number of deaths from a specific cause) and only reflects the change of such figures in comparison with the value for a specific reference period. For simplicity the reference value is set to equal 100. An index value of 110 then indicates an increase by 10% compared to the value in the reference period. Causes of death
Statistics on causes of death provide information on mortality patterns, supplying information on developments over time in the underlying causes of death. This source is documented in more detail in a background article on the methodology of causes of death statistics. This provides information on the scope of the data, its legal basis, the methodology employed, as well as related concepts and definitions.
Causes of death are classified according to the 86 causes in the European shortlist, which is based on the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). Chapter II of the ICD covers neoplasms as described in this article, based on the following ICD-10 codes
- C00 to C14 malignant neoplasm of lip, oral cavity, pharynx
- C15 malignant neoplasm of oesophagus
- C16 malignant neoplasm of stomach
- C18 to C21 malignant neoplasm of colon, rectosigmoid junction, rectum, anus and anal canal
- C25 malignant neoplasm of pancreas
- C32 malignant neoplasm of larynx
- C33 and C34 malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung
- C43 malignant melanoma of skin
- C50 malignant neoplasm of breast
- C64 malignant neoplasm of kidney, except renal pelvis
- C67 malignant neoplasm of bladder
- C73 malignant neoplasm of thyroid gland
- C81 to C86 Hodgkin disease and lymphomas
- C88, C90 and C96 other malignant neoplasm of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue
- C91 to C95 leukaemia.
For country specific notes, please refer to the national metadata reports, which are accessible from links at the beginning of the European metadata report.
The causes of death statistics manual provides an overview of the definitions, classifications and variables, both for mandatory variables and variables provided on a voluntary basis.
Healthcare resources and activities
Statistics on healthcare resources (such as personnel and medical equipment) and healthcare activities (such as information on surgical operations, procedures and hospital discharges) are documented in a background article on the methodology of healthcare non-expenditure statistics. This provides information on the scope of the data, its legal basis, the methodology employed, as well as related concepts and definitions.
For country specific notes, please refer to the annexes at the end of the national metadata reports, which are accessible from links at the beginning of the European metadata report.
The Healthcare non-expenditure statistics manual provides an overview of the classifications, both for mandatory variables and variables provided on a voluntary basis.
Symbols
In tables, a colon ':' is used to show where data aren’t available. Data in italics are estimates or provisional.
Context
The most frequently occurring forms of cancer in the EU are lung, colorectal, pancreas, breast and prostate cancers. Among males, lung cancer is the most frequent cause of death from cancer; the standardised death rate across the EU in 2022 for lung cancer was approximately double that for colorectal cancer and prostate cancer. Among females, breast cancer and lung cancer are the most common causes of death from cancer.
Primary prevention offers the most cost-effective, long-term strategy for reducing the burden of diseases in the EU; it involves tackling major health determinants, such as smoking, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. The European Commission has supported many projects related to health determinants and health promotion in general.
Secondary prevention aims to reduce mortality by early detection of cancer through screening. In December 2003, a Council Recommendation on cancer screening was adopted, setting out principles of best practice in the early detection of cancer. A proposal to update the 2003 Recommendation to reflect the latest available scientific advice was adopted by the European Council on 9 December 2022. Council Recommendation (2022/C 473/01) is a key element of the EU’s Cancer Screening Scheme. The scheme is 1 of the flagship initiatives of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, a key pillar of a stronger European Health Union.
Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan supports EU countries’ work to prevent cancer and to ensure a high quality of life for cancer patients, survivors, their families and carers. It is structured around a number of key areas where the EU can add most value
- prevention
- early detection
- diagnosis and treatment
- quality of life of cancer patients and survivors.
In February 2025, the Commission released a Review of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, which concluded that the implementation of the Cancer Plan is well underway, and the vast majority of actions have been initiated and are being put into practice. More than 90% of actions have been either concluded or are ongoing, across all pillars and horizontal themes of the Cancer Plan, covering all ten flagship initiatives.
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