Overview

• India’s lifetime risk of developing cancer is estimated at 11%, with about 15.6 lakh new cases and 8.74 lakh deaths in 2024.
• Findings draw on 7.08 lakh cases and 2.06 lakh deaths recorded by 43 population‑based registries from 2015 to 2019, with 2020 data excluded due to pandemic disruptions.
• Cancer incidence is highest in the Northeast, with Aizawl, East Khasi Hills, Papumpare, Kamrup Urban and Mizoram leading; Mizoram shows the highest lifetime risk at 21.1% for men and 18.9% for women.
• Women account for 51.1% of cases but 45% of deaths, a pattern linked to earlier detection and better outcomes in breast and cervical cancers compared with men’s late‑diagnosed cancers.
• Oral cancer has overtaken lung cancer among men, rising in 14 registries, with risk shaped by long tobacco latency and alcohol use; Delhi leads male incidence among metros, Srinagar tops lung cancer, and Ahmedabad reports the highest oral cancer rate in men.