Cancer continues to impose a severe health burden across Africa, affecting demographics ranging from young children to older adults.
Data from the 2023 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) highlights the impact on youth.
In 2023, the continent recorded 104,000 incident cases of childhood cancer among individuals aged 0 to 19. During the same period, childhood cancer claimed 54,700 lives across Africa.
Consequently, Africa accounts for 27.7% of the global childhood cancer incidence and represents 38.0% of all childhood cancer deaths worldwide.
As individuals transition into youth and adulthood, the volume of diagnoses increases significantly. Incident cancer cases among adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 39 reached 372,000 in 2023.
The overall health toll is measured in Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), which represent the years of healthy life lost due to illness, disability, or premature death.
Older demographics bear the largest portion of this disease burden. Adults aged 40 to 64 account for 44.8% of total DALYs linked to cancer in the region. Meanwhile, adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 39 represent 26.6% of the total cancer DALYs burden.
Together, these figures reflect a complex healthcare challenge across all age brackets on the continent, from pediatric cases to working-age adults.
