Press Releases
Ministry of Health and Welfare
Jan 23,2026
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW, Minister Jeong Eun Kyeong) and the Korea Central Cancer Registry (National Cancer Center, President Yang Han-kwang) announced Korea’s 2023 National Cancer Registry Statistics, compiled through the National Cancer Registration Program.
The National Cancer Registry Statistics are compiled annually in accordance with Article 14 of the Cancer Control Act, based on medical records collected from healthcare institutions, to collect and analyze data on cancer patients.
The statistics cover cancer incidence, survival, and prevalence from two years prior and are used as key evidence for formulating national cancer control policies and for international comparisons.
The main findings of the 2023 National Cancer Registry Statistics are as follows.
1. Cancer Incidence
Number of new cancer cases: In 2023, a total of 288,613 new cancer cases were diagnosed (151,126 men and 137,487 women), representing an increase of 7,296 cases (2.5%) from the previous year. Compared to 1999, when cancer statistics were first compiled (101,854 cases), the number of new cases has increased 2.8-fold.
* Number of new cases: (1999) 101,854 → (2010) 208,458 → (2022) 281,317 → (2023) 288,613
Trends in cancer incidence: The age-standardized incidence rate (hereinafter “incidence rate”), which excludes changes in population structure, was 522.9 per 100,000 population, showing a recent plateau. This suggests that the increase in the number of new cancer cases is largely attributable to population aging.
* Incidence rate per 100,000 population: (2020) 489.5 → (2021) 531.4 → (2022) 521.3 → (2023) 522.9
- By sex, incidence rates were 587.0 for men and 488.9 for women.
* Men: (2020) 571.3 → (2021) 601.9 → (2022) 590.3 → (2023) 587.0 per 100,000
* Women: (2020) 441.8 → (2021) 494.1 → (2022) 484.2 → (2023) 488.9 per 100,000
Lifetime risk of cancer*: The estimated lifetime risk of developing cancer among the Korean population was approximately 1 in 2 for men (44.6%) and 1 in 3 for women (38.2%).
* Lifetime risk of cancer refers to the probability of developing cancer over the course of a lifetime, assuming that current cancer incidence rates remain unchanged in the future.
Leading cancers by incidence: In 2023, the most commonly diagnosed cancer overall (both sexes combined) was thyroid cancer, followed by lung, colorectal, breast, stomach, prostate, and liver cancer. Notably, with population aging, prostate cancer became the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men.
* Men: Prostate cancer (2nd in 2022) → Lung cancer (1st in 2022) → Stomach cancer → Colorectal cancer → Liver cancer → Thyroid cancer
* Women: Breast cancer → Thyroid cancer → Colorectal cancer → Lung cancer → Stomach cancer → Pancreatic cancer
Summary stage: In 2023, 51.8% of cancers were diagnosed at an early (localized) stage, an increase of 6.2 percentage points from 2005, when summary stage data collection began. Over the same period, the proportion diagnosed with distant metastasis decreased by 2.5 percentage points, from 21.3% in 2005 to 18.8% in 2023.
- Among the six cancers covered by the National Cancer Screening Program (stomach, colorectal, liver, lung, breast, and cervical cancer), the increase in the proportion diagnosed at an early (localized) stage was greatest for stomach cancer (up 18.8 percentage points), followed by breast cancer (up 10.0 percentage points) and lung cancer (up 9.6 percentage points).
By age group: In 2023, the most commonly diagnosed cancers by age group (both sexes combined) were leukemia among children aged 0–9, thyroid cancer among those in their teens, 20s, and 30s, breast cancer among people in their 50s, and lung cancer among those in their 60s, 70s, and 80 and older.
- By sex, the most commonly diagnosed cancers among men were leukemia among those aged 0–9 and in their teens, thyroid cancer among those in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, colorectal cancer among those in their 50s, prostate cancer among those in their 60s and 70s, and lung cancer among those aged 80 and older. Among women, the most commonly diagnosed cancers were leukemia among those aged 0–9, thyroid cancer among those in their teens, 20s, and 30s, breast cancer among those in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, lung cancer among those in their 70s, and colorectal cancer among those aged 80 and older.
Cancer in older adults: In 2023, the number of newly diagnosed cancer cases among people aged 65 and older totaled 145,452 (90,062 men and 55,390 women), accounting for 50.4% of all new cancer cases.
- Among people aged 65 and older (both sexes combined), the most commonly diagnosed cancer was lung cancer, followed by prostate, stomach, colorectal, and liver cancer.
* Men (65+): Prostate cancer → Lung cancer → Stomach cancer → Colorectal cancer → Liver cancer
* Women (65+): Colorectal cancer → Lung cancer → Breast cancer → Stomach cancer → Pancreatic cancer
2. Cancer Survival
Cancer survival rate: The five-year relative survival rate* (hereinafter “survival rate”) for patients diagnosed with cancer during the most recent five-year period (2019–2023) was 73.7%, meaning that about 7 in 10 cancer patients survive five years or longer after diagnosis.
* The five-year relative survival rate is calculated by dividing the observed survival rate among cancer patients by the expected survival rate in the general population of the same sex and age group. It represents the probability of surviving up to five years after diagnosis compared with the general population.
- The five-year survival rate has continued to improve and was 19.5 percentage points higher than the rate for patients diagnosed during 2001–2005 (54.2%).
- By sex, the five-year survival rate was higher for women (79.4%) than for men (68.2%), reflecting the higher incidence among women of cancers with relatively high survival rates, such as thyroid and breast cancer.
By cancer type: Survival rates were highest for thyroid cancer (100.2%), prostate cancer (96.9%), and breast cancer (94.7%). In contrast, lung cancer (42.5%), liver cancer (40.4%), and pancreatic cancer (17.0%) showed relatively low survival rates, pointing to the need for continued research and strengthened management.
- Compared with 2001–2005, the largest improvements in survival rates during 2019–2023 were seen in lung cancer (up 25.9 percentage points), stomach cancer (up 20.6 percentage points), and liver cancer (up 19.8 percentage points).
Summary stage: The survival rate for patients diagnosed at an early (localized) stage was 92.7%, whereas the rate for those diagnosed with distant metastasis was significantly lower at 27.8%, underscoring the importance of early detection.
3. Cancer Prevalence
Cancer survivors: In 2023, the number of cancer survivors* reached 2,732,906, an increase of 144,827 from the previous year (2,588,079). This corresponds to 1 in 19 Koreans (5.3% of the total population).
* Cancer survivor: A person diagnosed with cancer between 1999 and 2023 who was alive as of January 1, 2024, whether currently undergoing treatment or having completed treatment.
By sex: There were 1,193,944 male cancer survivors and 1,538,962 female cancer survivors; the number of female survivors was 1.3 times that of males.
* This corresponds to 1 in 21 men (4.7% of the total population) and 1 in 17 women (6.0% of the total population) being cancer survivors.
By cancer type: Among both sexes combined, thyroid cancer accounted for the largest number of survivors in 2023 (587,292; 21.5%), followed by stomach cancer (366,717; 13.4%), breast cancer (354,699; 13.0%), colorectal cancer (340,064; 12.4%), prostate cancer (161,768; 5.9%), and lung cancer (141,143; 5.2%).
* Men (prevalence by cancer type): Stomach cancer → Colorectal cancer → Prostate cancer → Thyroid cancer → Lung cancer
* Women (prevalence by cancer type): Thyroid cancer → Breast cancer → Colorectal cancer → Stomach cancer → Cervical cancer
Time since diagnosis: The number of cancer survivors who had lived more than five years after diagnosis totaled 1,697,799, accounting for more than half (62.1%) of all cancer survivors. This represented an increase of 110,786 from the previous year (1,587,013).
Prevalence patterns by cancer type: For cancers with relatively high survival rates—such as stomach, colorectal, and breast cancer—the number of survivors remained relatively stable as time since diagnosis increased. In contrast, for cancers more commonly diagnosed in older adults—such as lung, prostate, and pancreatic cancer—the number of survivors tended to decline more rapidly after diagnosis. This decline was particularly pronounced for lung and pancreatic cancer, which have relatively low survival rates.
4. International Comparison
International comparison: Age-standardized to the world standard population*, Korea’s 2023 cancer incidence rate was 288.6 per 100,000 population, comparable to that of major countries. In contrast, the cancer mortality rate was 64.3 per 100,000, markedly lower than in other major countries, including Japan (78.6) and the United States (82.3). Korea’s combination of a high incidence rate and the lowest mortality rate among major countries is attributed to early detection and continued improvements in treatment outcomes, and is seen as evidence of the effectiveness and world-class capacity of Korea’s National Cancer Control Program.
* Figures are age-standardized using the world standard population to enable international comparisons of cancer incidence across regions and time periods with different age structures.
Lee Jung-kyu, Director General of Public Health Policy at the MOHW, stated, “These statistics objectively demonstrate the steady improvement in cancer survival rates driven by early screening and improved treatment outcomes. In response to the growing cancer burden in an aging society, we will continue to strengthen cancer control policies focused on prevention and early detection.”
Yang Han-kwang, President of the National Cancer Center, emphasized, “With the number of cancer survivors in Korea reaching 2.73 million and the proportion of cancers diagnosed in older adults increasing, the importance of cancer control is becoming even greater. Through the National Cancer Control Program, we will continue to advance systematic efforts encompassing cancer prevention and treatment, as well as support for cancer survivors.”
The 2023 National Cancer Registry Statistics will be released later in January 2026 through the Korean Statistical Information Service (https://kosis.kr), where they will be available for public access, analysis, and research.
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