Cancer in Norway
Cancer is a widespread disease group that affects many, either directly or indirectly as relatives.
Before the age of 80, four out of ten Norwegians has been diagnosed with at least one cancer diagnosis, and in the entire population there are now almost 330,000 people with cancer in their medical history (336.85 people as of December 31. 2023).
Stable incidence of cancer between 2022 and 2023
There were 38,094 new cancer cases in 2023, 17,708 among women and 20,386 among men.
A certain increase in the number of cancer cases is often normal, both because there are more people in Norway and because the population is getting older. Between 2022 and 2023, however, the incidence of cancer was stable, with approximately the same number of cases, and overall no increase in the incidence of cancer in the population. For several forms of cancer, some decline has even been recorded.
Overall, prostate cancer is still the most frequently occurring cancer in Norway and accounts for around 14 percent of all cancer cases in Norway. The four most common forms of cancer, prostate, breast, lung and colon cancer together accounted for 46 per cent of all cancer cases in Norway.
Three times as many cancers are diagnosed now compared to 50 years ago, and more men than women get cancer.
More people are surviving their cancer
Today, nearly three out of four people survive their cancer for five years or more.
For the period 2019 to 2023, the five-year relative survival total was 77.6 per cent for men and 77.4 per cent for women.
Although more and more people get cancer, more and more people recover completely, and many of those with cancer live longer and have a higher quality of life than before. This is due to a combination of prevention, earlier diagnosis, and more adapted treatment methods for the various forms of cancer.
For some forms of cancer, this has led to the vast majority surviving, and even those with advanced disease in these groups can have good survival prospects.
For other forms of cancer, however, there have been few treatment breakthroughs. When it comes to cancers such as pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and liver cancer, it is still the case that only a small proportion of those who become ill survive.
The most common cancers
The diagrams below show which cancers are most common in the Norwegian population, for women and men, respectively. For women, lung, colorectal and breast cancer are the three most common cancers. For men, lung, prostate and colorectal cancers are the most common.
Diagram: The most common cancers (%) for women in the period 2019-2023
Diagram: The most common cancers (%) for men in the period 2019-2023
Over 330,000 Norwegians have or have had cancer
The fact that more people recover from cancer, and that those who have cancer live longer with their disease, means that the number of "cancer survivors" has increased sharply.
At the start of 2024, there were 336,855 men and women in Norway who have had cancer or are living with cancer. There are over 100,000 more than 10 years ago.
The background for these figures is complex, and partly due to the fact that the cancer is detected earlier, at a stage where it can be treated more effectively, and partly due to new and better treatment with personalized medicine.
11.451 died of cancer in 2022
Despite the fact that more and more people are surviving, it is still the case that a significant number die from cancer every year. 11.451 people in Norway died of cancer in 2022. Mortality data for 2023 was not complete from the Cause of Death Register, when Cancer in Norway was published, therefore data from 2022 is mentioned.
Cancer of the lung, colon and rectum, prostate, and breast cancer among women accounted for more than half of all deaths from cancer in 2022.
In addition, a significant number of deaths are caused by pancreatic cancer. Although this is not among the most frequent forms of cancer, with around 1.000 cases annually, this form of cancer has a poor prognosis and many die quickly after diagnosis. In 2022, 963 people died of this form of cancer, according to figures from the Cause of Death Register.
Cancer affects mostly the elder
Cancer affects mostly the elder. Half of all people diagnosed with cancer are aged 71 or older - and 90 per cent are over 50.
In Norway, therefore, a significant part of the sharp increase in number of cancer cases over the last 50 years is due to the fact that we have become more numerous, live longer than before, and that an increasing proportion of the population is older.
For some cancers, the incidence has decreased. This applies, for example, to cervical cancer, where the diagnosis and treatment of precursors has led to a reduction in people getting this disease. In the long term, it is also expected that HPV vaccination will contribute to a lower incidence of cervical cancer.
Demonstration of the link between stomach cancer and the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is also an important cause of stomach ulcers, has led to new preventive treatment, and stomach cancer has gone from being a relatively common type of cancer to becoming a disease that now affects relatively few.
Lifestyle choices can also lead to cancer
Some cancers can be caused by lifestyle. Tobacco use has led to a sharp increase in the number of lung cancer cases. This type of cancer can develop slowly over time, so even though many people have stopped smoking and the number of smokers is declining, this disease still affects many, and will continue to do so in the coming years.
Factors such as diet and/or obesity, lack of physical activity and alcohol are also behind a significant number of cancer cases.
Fact sheets about cancer
The following six cancers accounted for the majority of all cancer cases in 2023.
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is cancer that occurs in the bladder neck gland in men that sits just below the bladder. It is the most frequent type of cancer in Norway. Read more about prostate cancer.
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in Norway. Read more about breast cancer.
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is one of the cancers that are easiest to prevent. Read more about lung cancer.
Colorectal cancer
Norway has one of the world's highest incidence of colorectal cancer. Read more about colorectal cancer.
Melanoma
The incidence of melanoma has increased significantly among men and women in Norway and internationally in the post-war period. Read more about melanoma.
Cervical cancer
Worldwide, cervical cancer is the third largest type of cancer affecting women. Read more about cervical cancer.
Statistics
Cancer statistics for Norway
In the Cancer Registry's annual report Cancer in Norway, you will find information on incidence, mortality, prevalence and survival of cancer in Norway. Latest figures are from 2023.
Read Cancer in Norway 2023 here
Previous editions of Cancer in Norway can be found here.
- The Cancer Registry of Norway’s online statistics
The Cancer Registry of Norway's online statistics contains the incidence of cancer (occurrence of new cases of cancer) in Norway up to and including the last available diagnostic year. It is possible to generate incidence statistics by diagnosis, gender, age, periods and geographical units like county and regional health trusts.
Visit our Statistics bank here
- Clinical Registries for cancer
Clinical registries – comprehensive registration schemes dedicated to specific cancers – shall contribute to strengthening the quality of the health care provided to the patient groups. The Clinical Registries shall also operate, promote and provide a basis for research to develop new knowledge about the causes of cancer, diagnosis and course of the disease, as well as treatment effects.
Read more about the Clinical Registries here
- Cancer statistics for the Nordic countries
In NORDCAN you will find information on incidence, mortality, prevalence and survival in the Nordic countries.
Visit NORDCAN
- Statistics for the world
The World Health Organization's special agency, the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC), publishes estimates of incidence and mortality of the most common cancers in all countries in the world.
What is cancer?
Benign tumors consist of normal cells and are not characterized as cancer. They are usually delimited by normal tissue and will stop growing after a while. Malignant tumors on the other hand will continue to grow, and may eventually cause serious damage to nearby tissues and organs.
Cancer may also spread to other areas of the body by transporting loose cancer cells around the body in the blood and lymphatic system. These cells can then settle in completely different parts of the body and spread the cancer (metastases). In most such cases, the patient will eventually die of their cancer.
Recent research has shown that what is now perceived as one type of cancer should often rather be classified as several diseases on the basis of different incidence, growth pattern, and prognosis. This applies, for example, to breast cancer.
Questions about cancer
The Cancer Registry of Norway is a research institution. Our specialists therefore do not answer questions about diagnosis, assessment, treatment and follow-up of patients or their relatives.
Questions regarding this should be directed to your general practitioner (fastlege), treating institution or call the Norwegian Cancer Society’s counselling service Kreftlinjen (the Cancer Helpline) tlf: 21 49 49 21
