Health Issues in Africa

Cancer

1,154,584 new cancer cases and 754,574 deaths in Africa annually. 18 of the 20 countries with the highest cervical cancer burden are in the WHO African Region.

1.15M
new cancer cases in Africa (2022)
GLOBOCAN 2022
754,574
cancer deaths
GLOBOCAN 2022
80,200
cervical cancer deaths per year in Africa
WHO, 2022
cervical cancer risk for women with HIV
WHO

↑ Rising sharply — doubling by 2040

Burden

GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates 1,154,584 new cancer cases and 754,574 deaths in Africa annually. Top five by incidence: breast, cervix uteri, prostate, colorectal, liver. Africa has the world’s highest mortality-to-incidence ratio for cancer.

Cervical Cancer

Approximately 80,200 African women die per year — about 23% of the global total. Eighteen of the 20 highest-burden countries globally are in the WHO African Region. Women living with HIV are 6× more likely to develop cervical cancer.

Breast Cancer

198,300 new cases and 91,300 deaths in 2022; projected to reach 1.118 million cases by 2050.

Gaps

Only 31% of African girls had received even one HPV dose by age 15 in 2022.

“Of the 20 countries with the world’s highest cervical cancer burden, 18 are in the WHO African Region.”GLOBOCAN 2022