Cancer statistics

Data extracted in March 2026

Planned article update: April 2027

Highlights

In 2023, Cyprus recorded the lowest standardised death rate for cancer among EU countries, 181.2 per 100 000 inhabitants.

In 2023, among the EU countries, the highest standardised death rates for cancer were recorded in Hungary and Croatia, each with rates above 300 per 100 000 inhabitants.

In 2023, the highest hospital in-patient discharge rate for neoplasms (both benign and malignant) was reported in Austria, with 2 504 in-patients per 100 000 inhabitants.

Resident in-patient average length of stay for neoplasms, 2023

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This article presents an overview of statistics related to cancer in the European Union (EU) and focuses on 3 aspects: deaths from cancer, cancer healthcare and the availability of specialist day care and equipment for the treatment of cancer. Some of the statistics presented in this article are only available for the broader category of neoplasms, which includes benign and uncertain neoplasms as well as malignant neoplasms (hereafter referred to as cancer). Accompanying articles for statistics on specific cancers and on cancer screening provide more detailed information on a selection of specific cancers – colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer – and on screening for prevention.

This article is included in a set of statistical articles concerning specific health conditions in the EU which forms part of the online publication on Health in the European Union – facts and figures.

Deaths from cancer

In 2023, cancer was the second leading cause of death in the EU, with 1.16 million deaths, which equated to 23.9% of the total number of deaths in the EU – see Table 1. Cancer accounted for a higher share (26.4%) of deaths among males than among females (21.4%).

Among the EU countries, the share of all deaths from cancer in 2023 exceeded 26.0% in Slovenia (31.4%), Ireland (28.7%), Denmark (28.0%) and the Netherlands (27.1%). Among males, this share peaked at 35.4% in Slovenia, followed by 30.1% in Spain. Among females, it peaked at 28.0% in Ireland, followed by 27.4% in Slovenia and 26.7% in Denmark. By contrast, fewer than 20.0% of all deaths in Romania (19.0%) and Bulgaria (16.7%) were caused by cancer; this was also the case among females with shares of 17.0% and 15.0%, respectively. Among males the lowest shares were also recorded in Romania (20.9%) and Bulgaria (18.3%)

In the EU, the standardised death rate for cancer was 233.1 per 100 000 inhabitants in 2023, lower than the rate for circulatory diseases, but higher than the rate for other causes of death. The article causes of death statistics looks in more detail at the leading causes of death in the EU.

An analysis by sex and by age shows large differences in standardised death rates for cancer: for males the rate (302.8 per 100 000 male inhabitants) was 65% higher than that for females (183.7 per 100 000 female inhabitants), while the rate for persons aged 65 years and over (936.0 per 100 000 inhabitants over 65) was 15 times as high as it was for younger persons (62.9 per 100 000 inhabitants aged less than 65 years).

Among the EU countries, the highest standardised death rates for cancer were recorded in Hungary and Croatia, both with rates over 300.0 per 100 000 inhabitants in 2023. For males, the highest standardised death rates for cancer were reported in Latvia, Hungary and Croatia, all with rates above 420.0 per 100 000 male inhabitants. For females, the highest standardised death rates for cancer were recorded in Hungary, Croatia and Denmark, each with rates over 220.0 per 100 000 female inhabitants.

In 2023, Cyprus recorded the lowest standardised death rate for cancer among the EU countries, 181.2 per 100 000 inhabitants, and was the only country with a rate below 190.0 per inhabitant. Luxembourg recorded the lowest standardised death rates among males: 229.7 per 100 000 male inhabitants, and Cyprus had the lowest standardised death rate among females: 135.0 per 100 000 female inhabitants.

Cancer healthcare activities

This section covers 3 sets of data that are available for neoplasms or cancer healthcare. These concern the number of hospital discharges of resident in-patients, the average length of stay for resident in-patients and the type of operations and procedures performed.

In 2023, 6.5 million resident in-patients were discharged from hospitals in the EU having been treated for neoplasms.

Austria recorded the highest discharge rate for resident in-patients with neoplasms

Figure 1 shows that the highest discharge rate for neoplasms (both benign and malignant) among resident in-patients was in Austria, where 2 504 in-patients per 100 000 inhabitants were discharged in 2023 after diagnosis or treatment for neoplasms. In Germany, Croatia, Latvia, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria, this rate also approached or exceeded 2 000 per 100 000 inhabitants. Elsewhere the rate ranged from 1 747 per 100 000 inhabitants in Lithuania to 657 per 100 000 inhabitants in Ireland, with Malta (409 discharges per 100 000 inhabitants) below this range.

Malta, Ireland and Portugal recorded the longest average lengths of stay for resident in-patients with neoplasms

The average length of stay in 2023 for resident in-patients treated for neoplasms ranged among the EU countries from 4.7 days in Bulgaria and 4.8 days in the Netherlands to 8.8 days in Portugal, 10.0 days in Ireland and 11.1 days in Malta.

Table 2 presents data for the frequency (relative to population size) with which 2 procedures were carried out to prevent or treat breast cancer: the removal of part (partial excision of mammary gland) or all (total mastectomy) of a mammary gland. In 2023, 391 000 operations were performed in the 26 EU countries for which data are available (no data for Greece) to remove part of a mammary gland. A further 160 000 total mastectomies were performed across the whole of the EU.

In 2023, partial mastectomies were most commonly performed in Belgium, with 147.2 of these procedures per 100 000 inhabitants, while the next highest rate was in Luxembourg with 115.5 procedures per 100 000 inhabitants. Poland and Romania recorded the lowest frequencies for this procedure, with, respectively, 12.9 and 27.1 partial mastectomies per 100 000 inhabitants. Belgium was also the EU country where total mastectomies were most commonly performed in 2023, with 69.8 total mastectomies per 100 000 inhabitants, ahead of Greece, with 65.5 per 100 000 inhabitants. Croatia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy also recorded more than 40.0 total mastectomies per 100 000 inhabitants, with Cyprus just below this level (39.3 per 100 000 inhabitants). The lowest rate was recorded in Malta, with 18.1 per 100 000 inhabitants.

Relative to population size, a majority of EU countries recorded an increase in the frequency of mastectomies

For partial mastectomies, around a third of the EU countries for which data are available reported a decrease in the frequency of this operation between 2018 and 2023. The largest decreases were reported by Malta (down 25%), Poland (down 24%), Romania (down 18%) and Lithuania (down 12%). The largest increases between 2018 and 2023 were observed in Cyprus, Luxembourg and Ireland, but all had a break in series. The next largest increase was recorded in Estonia, up 27%.

In a similar manner, around a third of EU countries recorded decreases in the frequency of total mastectomies between 2018 and 2023. The largest decrease was in Spain (down 34%; note that there is a break in series), followed by Finland (down 29%). After Cyprus and Ireland (both of which had a break in series), the largest increase was in Slovakia (up 45%).

Cancer-related healthcare resources and equipment

Oncological day care involves treatments that do not require an overnight stay, for example, day case chemotherapy, blood and platelet transfusions, tests, removal of sutures (stitches), injections and dressings. Although only a limited amount of data is available (see Table 3 for more details), the range in availability of cancer-related day care places in 2023 was large, from 0.5 places per 100 000 inhabitants in Slovakia to 15.5 places per 100 000 inhabitants in Belgium and 21.9 places per 100 000 inhabitants in Spain.

Out of the 13 EU countries for which data on oncological day care places are available, 10 reported an increase between 2018 and 2023. The largest increases were recorded in Slovakia and Bulgaria (2019 data instead of 2018), where the number of oncological day care places more than doubled. The Netherlands, Latvia (2020 instead of 2018) and Italy were the only countries to report a decrease.

In 2023, there were 3 064 radiation therapy units in the EU countries for which data are available (no data for Belgium, Latvia, Hungary and the Netherlands; note that data for Germany, France and Portugal refer only to equipment in hospitals), with the largest numbers in France (773), Italy (430) and Germany (396). Relative to population size, radiation therapy equipment was most common in Slovakia (1.20 per 100 000 inhabitants), while it was least common in Portugal (hospitals only), Germany (hospitals only), Romania and Malta (all fewer than 0.55 per 100 000 inhabitants). Note that some of these machines may also be used for treatments other than for cancer.

Excluding Spain, for which there is a break in series, the largest increase in the number of radiation therapy nits between 2018 and 2023 was recorded in Romania (up 35.9%); Croatia and Estonia were the only other countries to report an increase of more than 20%. The largest decrease was recorded in Malta, where the number of radiation therapy units dropped by 33.3%.

Source data for tables and graphs

Cancer statistics: tables and figures

Data sources

Key concepts

An in-patient or day care patient is discharged from hospital when formally released after a procedure or course of treatment (episode of care). A discharge may occur because of the finalisation of treatment, signing out against medical advice, transfer to another healthcare institution or because of death.

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.

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 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 C97 malignant neoplasms, referred to as “cancer” in this article
D00 to D09 in situ neoplasms
D10 to D36 benign neoplasms
D37 to D48 neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behaviour.

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.

Standardised death rate

The number of deaths from a particular cause of death can be expressed relative to the size of the population. A standardised death rate is adjusted to a standard age distribution. This facilitates comparisons of rates over time and between countries. The population used for the standardisation of crude rates is based on the European standard population in use since the summer of 2013.

Healthcare resources and activities

For hospital discharges and the length of stay in hospitals, the International Shortlist for Hospital Morbidity Tabulation (ISHMT) is used to classify data from 2000 onwards; Chapter II covers neoplasms and includes the following headings:

malignant neoplasm of colon, rectum and anus (0201)
malignant neoplasms of trachea, bronchus and lung (0202)
malignant neoplasms of skin (0203)
malignant neoplasm of breast (0204)
malignant neoplasm of uterus (0205)
malignant neoplasm of ovary (0206)
malignant neoplasm of prostate (0207)
malignant neoplasm of bladder (0208)
other malignant neoplasms (0209)
carcinoma in situ (0210)
benign neoplasm of colon, rectum and anus (0211)
leiomyoma of uterus (0212)
other benign neoplasms and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behaviour (0213).

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.

For surgical operations and procedures, the International Classification of Diseases – clinical modification (ICD-9-CM) is used:

partial excision of a mammary gland (85.20 to 85.23)
total mastectomy (85.33 to 85.36 and 85.4).

Symbols

In tables, a colon ‘:’ is used to show where data are not available. Data in italics are estimates or provisional.

Context

Although significant advances have been made in the fight against this group of diseases, cancer remains a key public health concern and a tremendous burden on EU societies – it is the second largest cause of death in the EU.

Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, presented in February 2021, was the EU’s response to growing challenges and developments in cancer control and represented a political commitment ‘to leave no stone unturned in the fight against cancer’. Built around 10 flagship initiatives and several supporting actions, it formed part of the European Commission’s proposals for a strong European Health Union, with a view to ensuring a more secure, more resilient and better-prepared EU.

Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan supported EU countries’ work to prevent cancer and to ensure a high quality of life for cancer patients, survivors, their families and carers. It was structured around a number of key areas where the EU could 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 plan was well underway, and the vast majority of actions have been initiated and are being put into practice. More than 90% of actions had been either concluded or were ongoing, across all pillars and horizontal themes of the plan, covering all 10 flagship initiatives.

Explore further

Database

Health (hlth), see:

Health care (hlth_care)

Health care resources (hlth_res)

Health care staff (hlth_staff)

Health care facilities (hlth_facil)

Health care activities (hlth_act)

Hospital discharges of residents (hlth_rhosd)

Operations, procedures and treatment (hlth_oper)

Causes of death (hlth_cdeath)

General mortality (hlth_cd_gmor)

Causes of death - deaths by country of residence and occurrence (hlth_cd_aro)

Causes of death - standardised death rate by NUTS 2 regions of residence (hlth_cd_asdr2)

Thematic section

Health

Publications

Atlas

Health statistics – Atlas on mortality in the European Union

Methodology

Manuals and guidelines

Healthcare non-expenditure statistics manual and guidelines for completing the Joint questionnaire on non-monetary healthcare statistics – 2025 edition

Metadata

Causes of death (SIMS metadata file – hlth_cdeath_sims)
Health care resources (ESMS metadata file – hlth_res_esms)

External links

Selected datasets

Health (t_hlth), see:

Health care (t_hlth_care)

Causes of death (t_hlth_cdeath)