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Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death across the world. According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, lung cancer is the primary cause of death by cancer in males and the second most common cause among females all around the world. It is the most deadly cancer with an extremely high incidence rate and mortality count. The signs and symptoms of lung cancer are diagnosed at a later stage of infection which makes its treatment challenging. An early diagnosis of the disease can treat lung cancer efficiently. There are several risk factors that can cause lung cancer. The human development index (HDI) is an independent predictor of these risk factors. HDI is more commonly associated with the distribution and incidence of the type of cancer. Different communities have different HDI. However, it is observed that the communities with higher HDI indicate increased cases of lung cancer in females. With the increasing prevalence of lung cancer in people all across the globe, let us look at the countries with the highest rate of lung cancer in both males and females.
Also Read : What Are The Options For Lung Cancer Treatment In India?
Which is the country with the highest rate of lung cancer?
According to data published by the World Cancer Research Fund International for the year 2020, Hungary has reported the highest rate of lung cancer globally, followed by the number of cases in Serbia. The top 10 countries with the highest lung cancer rates by country are tabulated below along with the information on the number of cases and ASR/1,00,000. ASR refers to age-standardized rates that measure the probable rate of incidence of a disease if the population had a standard age structure. This is an important parameter because standardization is mandatory when comparing two populations with different age ranges, age is a very important parameter that can influence the risk of death due to cancer. The total number of lung cancer cases across the world is approximately 22,06,771 and the ASR/1,00,000 is around 22.4. The rankings in the table below are done on the basis of ASR/1,00,000.
| Rank | Country | Number of Cases | ASR/1,00,000 |
| 1. | Hungary | 10,274 | 50.1 |
| 2. | Serbia | 8,048 | 47.3 |
| 3. | France | 166 | 42.9 |
| 4. | French Polynesia | 144 | 40.4 |
| 5. | Turkey | 41,264 | 40.0 |
| 6. | Montenegro | 443 | 39.7 |
| 7. | Belgium | 9,646 | 38.3 |
| 8. | Herzegovina and Bosnia | 2,513 | 37.8 |
| 9. | North Korea | 13,672 | 37.0 |
| 10. | Denmark | 5,047 | 36.8 |
The incidence rate of lung cancer is different for both males and females. According to the statistics, the incidence rate of lung cancer is highest in males in Turkey while in females the highest number of cases is recorded in Hungary. Talking across the globe, the total number of lung cancer cases in males is 14,35,943 and the ASR/1,00,000 is 31.5, whereas the total number of females affected with lung cancer across the globe is 7,70,828 with an ASR/1,00,000 of 14.6. The following tables list down the top 10 countries with the highest cases of male and female patients of lung cancer respectively. The rankings are done on the basis of ASR/1,00,000.
| Rank | Country | Number of cases (males) | ASR/1,00,000 |
| 1. | Turkey | 34,207 | 74.8 |
| 2. | Serbia | 5,409 | 68.0 |
| 3. | Hungary | 5,812 | 66.6 |
| 4. | Herzegovina and Bosnia | 1,984 | 64.7 |
| 5. | Montenegro | 318 | 61.2 |
| 6. | France | 110 | 59.9 |
| 7. | Armenia | 1,101 | 56.8 |
| 8. | Greece | 6,786 | 56.3 |
| 9. | French Polynesia | 100 | 55.3 |
| 10. | Slovakia | 2,531 | 54.3 |
| Rank | Country | Number of cases (Females) | ASR/1,00,000 |
| 1. | Hungary | 4,462 | 38.1 |
| 2. | Denmark | 2,648 | 36.8 |
| 3. | The Netherlands | 6,450 | 33.5 |
| 4. | Ireland | 1.628 | 32.9 |
| 5. | United States of America | 1,11,540 | 30.4 |
| 6. | United Kingdom | 25,040 | 29.9 |
| 7. | Serbia | 2,639 | 29.8 |
| 8. | Iceland | 107 | 29.6 |
| 9. | North Korea | 6,470 | 28.7 |
| 10. | Brunei | 56 | 28.0 |
Mortality rate of lung cancer
Lung cancer is a fatal disease. It gets diagnosed usually at stage III or IV which makes the treatment challenging and can lead to the death of the patients as well. The death rate in different countries is different due to several reasons. The highest mortality rate from lung cancer is found in Hungary. Talking worldwide, the total number of deaths due to lung cancer is approximately 17,96,114 with an ASR/1,00,000 of 18.0. The table below lists down the top 10 countries with the maximum number of deaths caused due to lung cancer along with the number of deaths and its ASR/1,00,000. The rankings are made on the basis of the ASR/1,00,000.
| Rank | Country | Number of deaths | ASR/1,00,000 |
| 1. | Hungary | 8,920 | 42.4 |
| 2. | Serbia | 7,084 | 40.0 |
| 3. | French Polynesia | 129 | 36.0 |
| 4. | Turkey | 37,070 | 35.9 |
| 5. | Guam | 86 | 35.1 |
| 6. | Poland | 27,444 | 32.8 |
| 7. | Herzegovina and Bosnia | 2,240 | 32.1 |
| 8. | Montenegro | 370 | 31.6 |
| 9. | France | 124 | 31.4 |
| 10. | Croatia | 2,984 | 30.9 |
The mortality rate of lung cancer varies in males and females. According to the data for 2020, the mortality rate of males due to lung cancer is highest in Turkey while that of females is highest in Hungary. Talking about the mortality rate of males across the globe, the number of deaths is around 11,88,679 and the ASR/1,00,000 is 25.9 while the number of deaths of females due to lung cancer is 6,07,465 with an ASR/1,00,000 of around 11.2. The following table ranks the top 10 countries with the highest mortality rate in males and females. The rankings are done on the basis of ASR/1,00,000.
| Rank | Country | Number of deaths (Males) | ASR/1,00,000 |
| 1. | Turkey | 30,749 | 67.5 |
| 2. | Serbia | 4,892 | 59.6 |
| 3. | Hungary | 5,200 | 58.6 |
| 4. | Herzegovina and Bosnia | 1,773 | 55.8 |
| 5. | Armenia | 1,026 | 52.4 |
| 6. | Guam | 56 | 49.7 |
| 7. | Croatia | 2,122 | 49.4 |
| 8. | Montenegro | 265 | 49.3 |
| 9. | French Polynesia | 88 | 48.5 |
| 10. | Poland | 17,461 | 48.4 |
| Rank | Country | Number of deaths (Females) | ASR/1,00,000 |
| 1. | Hungary | 3,720 | 30.6 |
| 2. | Denmark | 1,895 | 25.2 |
| 3. | Serbia | 2,192 | 23.6 |
| 4. | The Netherlands | 4,864 | 22.9 |
| 5. | Guam | 30 | 22.8 |
| 6. | North Korea | 5,294 | 22.6 |
| 7. | French Polynesia | 41 | 22.6 |
| 8. | Canada | 10,455 | 21.2 |
| 9. | Poland | 9,983 | 21.2 |
| 10. | Brunei | 40 | 20.6 |
What is the incidence of lung cancer in India?
Luckily according to the World Health Rankings for lung cancer, the incidence of lung cancer in India is quite less when compared to other countries of the world. Currently, India is ranked at 117 with a total lung cancer incidence rate of 7.82. Lung cancer comprises around 6.9% of all the new cancer cases in India with a mortality rate of 9.3%. These stats are increasing considerably since 2012. The state with the highest lung cancer rates in both males and females is Mizoram with an ASR/1,00,000 of 28.3 and 28.7 respectively.
In the end,
Lung cancer is life taking more because of its late diagnosis. With the increasing cases of lung cancer worldwide, surprisingly more among females, it is very important that you take good care of your lungs. An early diagnosis can aid in effective treatment. Therefore, make sure that you consult a lung specialist in case you have prolonged symptoms of lung cancer or if you are at a higher risk of developing cancer because of its triggering factors.
People also ask
1. What is the major cause of lung cancer worldwide?
Smoking is the major and most common cause of lung cancer around the world. According to WCRF International, smoking is the cause of lung cancer in 90% of the males and 80% of the females diagnosed with cancer.
2. What are the common symptoms of lung cancer?
The most common signs of lung cancer include persistent cough, chest pain, loss of appetite, hoarseness, shortness of breath, unintentional weight loss, and a constant feeling of tiredness.
3. Which country has the maximum cases of cancer?
The maximum number of cases of total cancer is in Australia with an ASR/1,00,000 of 452.4.
