Cancer in Norway
Last update
In 2024, 38,811 new cancer cases were registered. The incidence of cancer is decreasing for many of the largest cancer forms, especially among men.
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 350,000 people with cancer in their medical history (347,867 people as of December 31, 2024). The figures are taken from Cancer in Norway 2024.
Decline in several major cancer types
There were 38,811 new cancer cases in 2024, 18,188 among women and 20,623 among men.
This is a total of about 700 more cancer cases than were reported at the same time last year. A certain increase in the number of cancer cases is often normal, both because we are becoming more people in Norway and because the population is aging.
The cancer rate, that is, the number of cancer cases per 100,000 people, has however decreased in recent years, for men throughout the last decade, but also for women, the rate has become lower in the very last years. For men, there has been a decline in recent years for all major cancer types, with the exception of skin cancer.
The largest decline recently has, however, been registered for a type of cancer that affects women, namely cervical cancer, and in 2024, the Cancer Registry reported 269 cases of this cancer type. This is slightly lower than any numbers previously recorded, either in terms of case count or cases per 100,000 women.
Prostate cancer remains the most frequently occurring cancer in Norway, accounting for about 13 percent of all cancer cases in the country. The four most common cancer types, prostate, breast, lung, and colorectal cancer, together make up 43 percent of all cancer cases in Norway.
Three times as many cancer cases are diagnosed now compared to 50 years ago, and there are more men than women who get cancer.
More and more survive their cancer disease
Today, more than three out of four survive their cancer disease for five years or more.
For the period 2020 to 2024, the five-year relative survival rate was 77.9 percent for men and 77.7 percent for women.
Although more and more people are getting cancer, an increasing number are becoming completely healthy, 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, better, and more tailored treatment methods for different types of cancer.
For certain types of cancer, this has led to the vast majority surviving, and even those with advanced disease in some cancer types may have good survival prospects.
However, for other types of cancer, there have been few breakthroughs in treatment. For cancers such as pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer, it is still the case that only a small portion of those who become ill survive.
The most common forms of cancer
For women, lung, colorectal, and breast cancer are the three largest cancer types. For men, lung, prostate, and skin cancer are the most frequently occurring.
The four most common types of cancer (prostate, breast, lung, and colorectal cancer) together account for 43 percent of all cancer cases diagnosed in 2024.
Almost 350,000 Norwegians have or have had cancer
The fact that more people are recovering from cancer, and that those with cancer are living longer with their illness, means that the number of "cancer survivors" has increased significantly.
At the beginning of 2025, there were 347,867 men and women in Norway who have had cancer or are living with their cancer disease. This is over 100,000 more than 10 years ago.
The background for these numbers is complex, partly due to earlier detection of cancer at a stage where it can be treated more effectively, and partly due to new and better treatments with personalized medicine.
11.452 died of cancer in 2024
Despite the fact that more and more people are surviving, it is still the case that a significant number die from cancer every year. 11,452 people in Norway died of cancer in 2024.
Cancer of the lung, colon and rectum, prostate, and breast cancer among women accounted for more than half of all deaths from cancer in 2024.
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 2024, 954 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 2024.
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.
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in Norway.
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is one of the cancers that are easiest to prevent.
Colorectal cancer
Norway has one of the world's highest incidence of colorectal cancer.
Melanoma
The incidence of melanoma has increased significantly among men and women in Norway and internationally in the post-war period.
Cervical cancer
Worldwide, cervical cancer is the third largest type of cancer affecting women.
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 2024.
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.
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.
Cancer statistics for the Nordic countries
In NORDCAN you will find information on incidence, mortality, prevalence and survival in the Nordic countries.
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.