On Sept 12, 2018, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, released the latest global statistics on all cancers. The GLOBOCAN 2018 database, provides estimates of incidence and mortality in 185 countries for 36 types of cancer, based on the statistics gathered from 2016.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women (24.2%, i.e. about one in 4 of all new cancer cases diagnosed in women worldwide are breast cancer), and this cancer is the most common in 154 of the 185 countries included in GLOBOCAN survey. Approximately 2.1 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, contributing to about 11.6% of the total cancer incidence burden.
The chart below summarizes the GLOBOCAN statistics over the last 10 years, of countries with the highest and lowest incidence of breast cancer. Out of the 52 countries displayed below, breast cancer incidence over the last 4 years has gone up in 31 countries and gone down in 18 countries.
Global Need to Educate Women in Ways to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
There is an urgent need globally to educate women in ways to reduce their risk of breast cancer, and to decrease the personal, family and societal burden and suffering caused by this disease. Despite the millions of dollars funnelled into research, the global burden of breast cancer is increasing. Prevention is key. The MammAlive Foundation provides 31 Tips, that if implemented, can do just that. The tips have been translated into 17 languages and are circulating the globe on social media. We encourage you to gather with other women to share and discuss the tips, and support one another in their implementation.
Healthy Breast Educators from the MammAlive Foundation teach the Healthy Breast Program in many countries. Our mission is to educate and empower women globally to make healthy dietary and lifestyle changes, enhance understanding of their bodies, and increase awareness of the impact of the environment on their health, to reduce risk of breast cancer now and in future generations.
Age-Standardized Breast Cancer Incidence Worldwide, 2008, 2012 and 2018
| Highest Incidence
(per 100,000 women) Country Belgium France Denmark Netherlands Bahamas Iceland U.K. Barbados USA Ireland Germany Italy Finland Luxemburg Australia New Zealand Switzerland Israel Sweden Canada Norway Argentina Czech Republic Uruguay Austria Spain |
Incidence
2008 2012 2018
109.4 111.9 113.2 99.7 104.5 99.1 89.1 105.0 88.8 96.8 99.0 105.9 61.0 98.9 63.0 95.5 96.3 85.2 87.9 95.0 93.6 74.0 94.7 72.8 76.0 92.9 84.9 93.9 92.3 90.3 81.8 91.6 85.4 86.3 91.3 92.8 86.6 89.4 89.5 82.3 89.1 109.3 84.8 86.0 94.5 89.4 85.0 92.6 89.4 83.1 88.1 96.8 80.5 46.3 82.7 80.4 89.8 83.2 79.8 83.8 76.2 73.1 87.5 73.5 73.1 73.0 67.7 70.3 70.7 90.7 69.8 65.2 62.1 68.1 71.1 61.0 67.3 75.4 |
Lowest Incidence
(per 100,000 Women) Country Mongolia Mozambique Tanzania Botswana Haiti China Congo Nicaragua India Peru Zimbabwe Saudi Arabia Ecuador Chile Mexico Colombia Malaysia Turkey Ethiopia Greece Costa Rica Russia Japan Poland South Korea Brazil
|
Incidence
2008 2012 2018
8 9.1 11.3 13.1 14.5 14.5 10.1 19.4 17.5 15.4 19.9 17.5 23.9 22.0 23.6 21.6 22.1 36.1 17.4 23.5 22.0 22.9 23.9 32.9 22.9 25.8 24.7 34 28.0 40.0 16.2 28.5 38.4 22.4 29.6 27.3 32.7 31.8 40.1 34.8 40.9 27.2 35.4 39.5 31.2 35.7 44.1 37.0 38.7 47.5 28.3 39.1 45.6 19.5 41.8 41.2 44.9 43.9 69.3 42.9 45.4 46.7 43.2 45.6 53.6 42.7 51.5 57.6 48.9 51.9 59.1 38.9 52.1 32.8 42.3 59.5 62.9
|
Source: Globocan 2008, 2012, and 2018 International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
The countries below have the highest incidence of breast cancer. Education campaigns are needed in these countries.
Top 10 Countries with the highest incidence of breast cancer
| Country | 2018 Incidence
(per 100,000 women) |
| Belgium | 113.2 |
| Luxemburg | 109.3 |
| Netherlands | 105.9 |
| France | 99.1 |
| Australia | 94.5 |
| Italy | 92.8 |
| New Zealand | 92.6 |
| Ireland | 84.9 |
| Sweden | 89.8 |
| Finland | 89.5 |
out of 52 Countries sampled, breast cancer incidence is:
Going Up: in 31 countries
Going Down: in 18 countries
The following countries had the greatest increase in breast cancer incidence between 2012 and 2016.
Countries where breast cancer incidence increased most between 2012-2016
| Country | How Much Did It Increase
(per 100,000 women) |
| Greece | 25.4 |
| Norway | 14.4 |
| China | 14 |
| Peru | 12 |
| Luxemburg | 10.2 |
| Sweden | 9.4 |
| Nicaragua | 9.0 |
| Australia | 8.5 |
| Spain | 7.9 |
| New Zealand | 7.6 |
| Poland | 7.2 |
| Netherlands | 6.9 |
| Canada | 4.0 |
These countries, for reasons yet unknown, had the greatest drop in breast cancer incidence between 2012 and 2016.
Countries where breast cancer incidence decreased most between 2012-2016
| Country | How Much Did It Decrease
(per 100,000 women) |
| Bahamas | 35.9 |
| Israel | 34.2 |
| Barbados | 21.9 |
| South Korea | 19.3 |
| Denmark | 16.2 |
| Iceland | 11.1 |
| USA | 8.0 |
| Germany | 6.2 |
| France | 5.4 |
| Uruguay | 4.6 |
Know Your Risk Factors
To understand and reduce your risk factors for breast cancer, download the Breast Health Balance Sheet and work with a Healthy Breast Educator, naturopathic doctor, or your health care practitioner to reduce your risk.
Check out our upcoming Healthy Breast Programs to learn more or to qualify as a Healthy Breast Educator.
