Nearly half of all people in Germany will develop cancer at some point in their lives, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Citing statistical risk calculations, the federal institute reported on Thursday in Berlin that the disease affects 49 percent of men and 43 percent of women. Around one in six women and one in seven men develop cancer before the age of 65. Based on the latest available figures, nearly 518,000 cancer cases were diagnosed nationwide in 2023.
Marking World Cancer Day on February 4, the institute also noted that, according to 2023 cause-of-death statistics, roughly 229,000 people in Germany died from cancer that year, including 123,000 men and 106,000 women.
The RKI said cancer mortality rates have declined significantly over the past 25 years when adjusted for demographic changes linked to an aging population. Mortality among men fell by 31 percent, while among women it dropped by 21 percent. The number of new cancer diagnoses has also shown a slight age-standardised decline, according to the data.
Among men, prostate cancer remains by far the most common diagnosis, while among women it is breast cancer. Lung cancer and colorectal cancer are the second most common cancers in both sexes. Together, these four cancer types accounted for nearly half of all cases recorded in the national cancer registry in 2023. Malignant tumours of the lung, colon, pancreas and breast also made up almost half of all cancer-related deaths.
In its latest epidemiological bulletin, the RKI further reported a recent slight decline in age-standardised incidence rates for cervical cancer. Since 2007, the Standing Committee on Vaccination (Stiko) has issued an official vaccination recommendation for girls in adolescence, later expanded to include boys and with a lowered age threshold.
Among women aged 20 to 34, the incidence rate fell steadily from 7.8 per 100,000 in 2015 to 4.3 in 2023, the institute wrote. It said “initial protective effects of the vaccination at the population level” are becoming visible. However, vaccination rates for cervical cancer remain “in need of improvement” by international comparison.
For breast cancer, the data shows a slight rise in age-standardised incidence among younger age groups. Among women aged 30 to 49, the rate was 85.9 per 100,000 in 1999 and reached 107.8 in 2023. The RKI noted that nationwide mammography screening was introduced in 2009.
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