In this article, we will be taking a look at the 20 countries with the highest cancer survival rates in the world. If you do not want to learn about the cancer treatment in the US, head straight to the 5 Countries with the Highest Cancer Survival Rates in the World.
Navigating the Terrain: The Complex Landscape of Cancer Treatment in the United States
The global market for cancer treatments is expected to grow significantly from its 2021 figure of $166.5 billion to a projected value of $335.06 billion by 2029. The severity of the cancer crisis is demonstrated by the 1,603,844 new cancer cases that were reported in the US alone in 2020, which resulted in the deaths of 602,347 people. Lung, breast, and prostate cancer are among the most common types of cancer in the US which provide difficulties to patients and medical professionals.
The United States leads the global oncology market, with the highest percentage of reported cancer cases and fatalities worldwide. The US cancer treatment market is growing due to the availability of sophisticated diagnostics and medicines, attractive reimbursement rules, and a strong healthcare infrastructure, which somewhat offsets this burden. But the price of this advancement is high, both materially and psychologically. In 2015, the US spent an estimated $190.2 billion on cancer care and this amount was increased to $208.9 billion in 2020. The annual average cancer-related expenses per patient vary greatly which depends on the kind of cancer a person has developed. For example, prostate cancer costs $312 on average, whereas multiple myeloma costs $29,878.
Despite these difficulties, there is a lot of untouched commercial potential, especially in the oncology therapies market, which account for 20% of all pharmaceutical sales worldwide, which highlights the enormous market prospects that encourages pharmaceutical companies to spend more money on developing novel therapies through R&D.
Insights into Global Cancer Medicine Spending, Breast Cancer Trends, and the Oncology Pipeline
In 2021, the world spent a staggering $185 billion on cancer medicines, with a projection to reach $300 billion by 2026, as per IQVIA. Leading this spending spree was the US, closely followed by European countries. By 2022, a remarkable 2,200 oncology-related products were in various stages of development, with 63% of them originating from emerging biopharma companies. These emerging players, typically investing less than $200 million annually in research and development, are rapidly expanding their pipelines. However, large pharmaceutical firms, covering only 23% of products in 2022, down from 39% in 2016, seem to be facing a decline in their oncology pipeline.
Breast cancer which constitutes 11.7% of global cancer cases, inflicted 2.3 million new cases and claimed 685,000 lives in 2020. Transitioning countries face an 88% higher incidence rate, which shows disparities in global cancer burden. To combat this, the WHO initiated the Global Breast Cancer Initiative which aimed for a 2.5% annual reduction in deaths through enhanced early detection and proper management. The market for breast cancer therapeutics is forecasted to grow from $26.7 billion in 2022 to a robust $54.7 billion by 2032 which is fueled by rising incidence rates and advancements in treatment options.
In 2020, the World Cancer Research Fund shed light on the global cancer landscape, reporting over 18 million cancer diagnoses globally, with an age-standardized rate of 190 cases per 100,000 people. Men faced a higher cancer burden, with a rate of 206.9 cases per 100,000 people compared to women's 178.1 cases per 100,000 people. Europe accounts for roughly 25% of global cancer cases, despite housing only a tenth of the world's population.
Moving towards cancer treatment, certain companies stand out for treating cancer. These companies include AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN), Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN), Pfizer, and Bristol Myers Squib, among others.
AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) has been investing in tumor-targeted therapeutics such as antibody-drug conjugates and developing the first next-generation immunotherapies. AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) also makes use of screening instruments to identify patients early on. Positive outcomes for Imfinzi in small cell lung cancer and strategic alliances to obtain cutting-edge therapies are among the recent news. Notably, a $6.9 billion agreement with Daiichi Sankyo is focused on creating more potent substitutes for chemotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer.
On the other hand, progress in cancer diagnosis and individualized treatment has been made possible by Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN)'s technology and collaborations. Their next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels are specially designed to target known cancer variations which allows for a more profound genomic understanding of malignancies and more effective assays. Their goal of collaboration with Janssen is the development of new diagnostics for molecular residual disease (MRD) to improve disease surveillance after therapy.
Targeted sequencing technology will be integrated with Illumina's sequencing and bioinformatics capabilities to enable the global commercialization of Pillar Biosciences' oncology assays, as part of a recent partnership between the two companies. To advance cancer therapy and research, Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) also increased their partnerships with pharmaceutical firms like Janssen. Illumina's financial results show that its revenue in Q4 2023 was roughly $1.12 billion, up 4% year over year. Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN)'s core revenue increased by 2% to $1.09 billion. throughout Q4 2023, they shipped 79 NovaSeq X instruments, and throughout the fiscal year 2023, they shipped 352 instruments.
20 Countries with the Highest Cancer Survival Rates in the World
A hand holding cancer cells with a magnifying glass, highlighting the company's target of curing diseases.
Our Methodology
For our methodology, we have ranked the countries with the highest cancer survival rates in the world based on the total cancer mortality age-standardized rate per 100,000 as of 2020. We picked countries that had the lowest cancer mortality rates from amongst countries with the relatively high cancer-incidence rates. We have ranked the list in descending order of low mortality rates. For the accuracy of data, we relied on WCRF.
Here is our list of the 20 countries with the highest cancer survival rates in the world.
20. El Salvador
Mortality rate per 100,000 People: 66.2
El Salvador saw a total of 9,799 new cancer cases and 5,292 deaths in 2022. Breast cancer is the most common cancer type in the country with about 1,612 women affected in 2022. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer with an incidence rate of 33.1% followed by stomach cancer with a prevalence rate of 7.1%.
19. Bhutan
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 66.2
Bhutan stands among the countries with the highest cancer survival rates in the world. The estimated 1-5 years survival rates for cervical cancer patients in the country are 82.1%, 75.6%, 65.2%, 62.3%, and 62.3% respectively. Stomach cancer is the most prevalent in the country with 118 new cases diagnosed and 105 deaths reported in 2020. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer with 47 cases diagnosed and 43 deaths reported in the same year. The country has 32 health facilities that provide cancer care, though the main referral hospital serves 70-80% of cancer cases.
18. The Gambia
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 65.6
Liver cancer and cervical cancer are the most prevalent cancers in Gambia with liver cancer accounting for 58% of cases in males, with an age-standardized incidence rate of 35.7 per 100,000 between 1998-1997. Other common cancers in the males in the country are non-Hodgkin lymphoma with an incidence rate of 5.4% followed by lung cancer at 4% and prostate cancer at 3.3%. Cervical cancer is the most common among females with an incidence rate of 34.0%, followed by live cancer with an incidence rate of 19.4%, and breast cancer at 9.2% during the same time frame. Gambia reported a total of 1,196 total cancer cases in 2022 with around 899 deaths.
17. Qatar
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 64.4
Colorectum cancer is the most common cancer in Qatar with around 182 new cases reported in 2022 which makes up 10.5% of all the total cancer cases. Around 79 people died of colorectum cancer in the same year. Qatar saw a total of 1,733 new cancer cases in 2022 with around 782 deaths. Financially speaking, Qatari nationals pay only $3 yearly for cancer care under the well-established government system, whereas, non-Qataris end up paying $28 annually.
16. Bahrain
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 64.2
Bahrain has one of the highest cancer survival rates in the world. The total number of new cancer cases in 2022 was 1,383 with around 607 deaths reported. Breast cancer is the most common among Bahraini women, making up 44.4% of all cancer cases, while colorectum cancer is the most common among men, making up 14.8% of total cases. The risk of developing cancer before the age of 75 in the country stands at 11.9%.
15. Oman
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 64.1
The age-standardized per 100,000 mortality rates in Oman stand at 64.1%. The most common cancer in the country is breast cancer with a total of 549 new cases diagnosed in 2022 and 199 deaths reported. A total of 4,045 new cancer cases were reported in the same year with 2,261 deaths. Around 80% of hospitals are operated by the government with only two hospitals having dedicated cancer care units.
14. Dijbouti
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 64.1
Djibouti stands 14th among the countries with the highest cancer survival rates in the world. A total of 805 new cancer cases were diagnosed in the country in 2022 with around 572 deaths reported. The most common cancers in the country are breast with an incidence rate of 22.4% followed by cervix uteri with an incidence rate of 8.8% and colorectum with an incidence rate of 7.2%.
13. Tajikistan
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 63.8
Tajikistan witnessed a total of 6,467 new cancer cases and around 4,225 cancer deaths in 2022. Stomach cancer was the most prevalent cancer with around 1,195 new cases diagnosed and around 1,021 deaths reported. The probability of developing cancer before the age of 75 stood at 9.4% whereas the liklihood of dying of cancer before the age of 75 stood at 6.7%. Breast cancer is the most commonly prevailing cancer among women with around 6.1% of women dying of breast cancer.
12. Kuwait
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 63.5
Kuwait has an age-standardized cancer mortality rate of 63.5 per 100,000 people. A total of 4,347 new cancer cases were reported in the country in 2022 with around 1,968 deaths reported. The number of 5-year prevalent cases stood at 13,889 in the same year. The most common cancers in Kuwait are breast with an incidence rate of 20.5% and a mortality rate of 13% followed by colorectum cancer with an incidence rate of 10% and a mortality rate of 9.9%.
11. India
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 62.7
India stands among the countries with the highest cancer survival rates in the world. Breast cancer was the most common cancer type in 2022 with about 192,020 new cases diagnosed. Cervix and uterine cancer were the next most common cancers which accounted for a total of 9% new cancer cases followed by lung cancer with around 5.8% cases. Around 40% of cancer hospitalization cases are financed mainly through borrowings, sale of assets, and contributions from friends and relatives and over 60% of households seeking private cancer care incur out-of-pocket expenditure exceeding 20% of their annual consumption expenditure.
10. Mexico
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 62.6
Mexico witnessed an increase in cancer cases with around 207,154 new cancer cases diagnosed in 2022. The three most common cancers in the country are breast with an incidence rate of 15%, prostate with an incidence rate of 12.8% and colorectum with an incidence rate of 7.8%. The number of 5-year prevalent cases stood at 577,487.
9. Sudan
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 62.1
Sudan has an age-standardized cancer mortality rate of 62.1 per 100,000 people. Females are the more affected than men with around 6,631 cases in 2022. Colorectum cancer is the most common cancer in the country with an incidence rate of 6% and a death rate of 5.9%. The 5-year survival rate is different for different cancer stages. For example, the 5-year survival rate for stage 1 is 71.5%, 82.5% for stage 2, 56.5% for stage 3, and 8.4% for stage 4.
8. Botswana
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 62.1
The most common cancers in Botswana are cervix uteri with an incidence rate of 19.6% followed by breast cancer with an incidence rate of 11.1%, and Kaposi Sarcoma with 10% of cases. The risk of dying from cancer before the age of 75 is 7.1% while the rate of being affected by cancer before this age is 11.8%.
7. Timor-Leste
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 61.9
The most common cancer in Timor-Leste is breast with an incidence rate of 15.8% and a death rate of 9.5%. Around 828 new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2022, with around 517 deaths reported. The most prevalent cancer among males was Lung cancer with an incidence rate of 16.9%
6. Niger
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People: 60.8
Niger stands third among the countries with the highest cancer survival rates in the world. A total of 127,763 new cancer cases were reported in 2022 along with 79,542 deaths. Breast cancer, with an incidence rate of 40.5%, was the most common cancer in the country in 2022 followed by prostate cancer with an incidence rate of 37.5%. The average cost of cancer care from diagnosis to remission or death is $13,876 (N5,064,700)
