Breast Cancer Cases in India More Than Doubled over last 30 Years

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 3 March 2026

• Breast cancer has emerged as the most common cancer in India
• Incidence rates of breast cancer in India have risen by over double in the last three decades
• This increase in the rate of new cases of breast cancer represents a rise of 127%

Currently, the most frequently diagnosed type of cancer among women in India is breast cancer. According to several recent articles published in the journal Lancet Oncology, the number of breast cancer cases diagnosed each year has more than doubled over the last 30 years.

According to a report published by the Global Burden of Disease Study Breast Cancer Collaborators, in India, the incidence of breast cancer has increased from 13 cases per 100,000 women in 1990 to 29.4 per 100,000 women in 2023.

The increase in breast cancer is 127 percent, and the age-adjusted mortality from breast cancer has increased from 8.9 deaths per 100,000 women in 1990 to 15.5 deaths per 100,000 women in 2023 (roughly 74 percent increase).

Globally, the number of new breast cancer diagnoses is projected to rise from two million in 2022 to over three million by 2050, a one-third increase, despite significant advances in screening and treatment options.

According to data from the World Health Organization’s Globocan 2022, India has the most new breast cancer cases of all cancer types (192,000 cases), compared to oral cavity, cervical and lung cancers, in 2022.

A major challenge for India is the late diagnosis of breast cancer, where more than 60 percent of the cases are diagnosed at Group 3 or 4 (advanced) stage, resulting in relatively poor survival rates and high treatment costs.

Although breast cancer is more prevalent among women aged 55 or older, the number of younger women with breast cancer has increased significantly.

The amount of diagnoses in women 20-54 years of age has increased by 29 percent worldwide since 1990, while the rate of breast cancer diagnoses among women 55 years of age and older has remained fairly constant.

This indicates that the factors for breast cancer are changing, as are the lifestyles. This change has been observed, especially in developing countries such as India.

Oncologists in India observe that the most significant change that has taken place in the country, apart from the increase in breast cancer, is the early onset of the disease, as never before has breast cancer struck young women.

However, the reasons for this are not known, though they may be related to the changing generations, the environment, and lifestyle factors such as obesity. However, not all young women may exhibit such factors, and the reasons for the early onset of breast cancer remain uncertain, says Dr. Aju Mathew, an oncologist from Kerala.

Experts say that many developing countries are not prepared to deal with the increase in breast cancer cases, as they face shortages of radiotherapy equipment, chemotherapy drugs, and diagnostic tools, and the cost of treatment.

In the wealthier nations, the outlook for breast cancer patients can depend on the region and the stage at which the disease was diagnosed.