Bladder cancer statistics Bladder cancer statistics
Bladder cancer is the ninth most common cancer in the world, with 430,000 new cases diagnosed in 2012
- Men are more than four times more likely to get bladder cancer than women.
- Smoking is a major cause of bladder cancer.
- Infection with schistosomiasis following exposure to infested water is a cause of this cancer, particularly in Africa and the Middle East.
- Exposure to industrial chemicals such as metalworking fluids is another cause of bladder cancer.
- Our analysis of worldwide research on the link between diet, weight, physical activity and bladder cancer found strong evidence that drinking water containing arsenic increases the risk of bladder cancer.
Countries with highest rates of bladder cancer
The top 20 countries with the highest incidence of bladder cancer in 2012 are listed in the tables below.
Both sexes
- Belgium has the highest rate of bladder cancer, followed by Lebanon and Malta.
- About 59 per cent of bladder cancer cases occur in more developed countries.
- The highest incidence of bladder cancer is in Northern America and Europe; and the lowest incidence is in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
| 1 | Belgium | 17.5 |
| 2 | Lebanon | 16.6 |
| 3 | Malta | 15.8 |
| 4 | Turkey | 15.2 |
| 5 | Denmark | 14.4 |
| 6 | Hungary | 14.1 |
| 7 | Spain | 13.9 |
| 8 | Norway | 13.5 |
| 9 | Germany | 13.4 |
| 10 | Egypt | 13.1 |
| 11 | Israel | 12.6 |
| 12 | Armenia | 12.3 |
| 13 | Switzerland | 12.2 |
| 14 | Portugal | 12.0 |
| 15 | Italy | 11.8 |
| 16= | Cyprus | 11.6 |
| 16= | United States of America | 11.6 |
| 18= | Canada | 11.5 |
| 18= | Czech Republic | 11.5 |
| 18= | Iceland | 11.5 |
| 18= | FYR Macedonia | 11.5 |
Source: Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Ervik M, Dikshit R, Eser S, Mathers C, Rebelo M, Parkin DM, Forman D, Bray, F. GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.1, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 11 [Internet]. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2014. Available from: https://globocan.iarc.fr, accessed on 08/09/2015.
Men
- Belgium has the highest rate of bladder cancer, followed by Lebanon and Turkey.
- About 59 per cent of bladder cancer cases occur in more developed countries.
- The highest incidence of bladder cancer was is in Northern America and Europe; and the lowest incidence is in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
| 1 | Belgium | 31.0 |
| 2 | Lebanon | 29.1 |
| 3 | Turkey | 28.7 |
| 4 | Armenia | 27.3 |
| 5 | Malta | 26.9 |
| 6 | Spain | 26.0 |
| 7 | Hungary | 23.5 |
| 8 | Denmark | 22.9 |
| 9 | Israel | 22.7 |
| 9 | Germany | 22.7 |
| 11 | Portugal | 22.4 |
| 12 | Cyprus | 22.3 |
| 13 | Egypt | 21.8 |
| 14= | FYR Macedonia | 21.6 |
| 14= | Norway | 21.6 |
| 16 | Italy | 21.2 |
| 17 | Switzerland | 20.3 |
| 18 | Poland | 20.2 |
| 19 | Iraq | 19.9 |
| 20 | United States of America | 19.6 |
Source: Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Ervik M, Dikshit R, Eser S, Mathers C, Rebelo M, Parkin DM, Forman D, Bray, F. GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.1, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 11 [Internet]. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2014. Available from: https://globocan.iarc.fr, accessed on 08/09/2015.
Women
- Hungary has the highest rate of bladder cancer, followed by Denmark and Norway.
- About 58 per cent of bladder cancer cases occur in more developed countries.
- The highest incidence of bladder cancer was is in Northern America and Europe; and the lowest incidence is in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
| 1 | Hungary | 7.4 |
| 2 | Denmark | 7.0 |
| 3 | Norway | 6.4 |
| 4= | Belgium | 6.2 |
| 4= | Malta | 6.2 |
| 6 | Lebanon | 6.1 |
| 7= | Mali | 6.0 |
| 7= | Iceland | 6.0 |
| 9 | Malawi | 5.9 |
| 10= | Canada | 5.6 |
| 10= | Czech Republic | 5.6 |
| 10= | Egypt | 5.6 |
| 13= | Switzerland | 5.5 |
| 13= | Germany | 5.5 |
| 15 | Croatia | 5.3 |
| 16 | Iraq | 5.2 |
| 17= | United States of America | 5.1 |
| 17= | Austria | 5.1 |
| 19= | Albania | 5.0 |
| 19= | Ireland | 5.0 |
Source: Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Ervik M, Dikshit R, Eser S, Mathers C, Rebelo M, Parkin DM, Forman D, Bray, F. GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.1, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 11 [Internet]. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2014. Available from: https://globocan.iarc.fr, accessed on 08/09/2015.