INDIA SAW OVER 1.5M CANCER CASES IN 2025: WHICH STATES ARE WORST HIT?
India has seen a significant rise in the cancer burden, with the cases rising to 1,569,793 in 2025, the government has informed the Parliament.
From more than 1.4 million in 2021, the cancer cases in the country rose to over 144,000 in the last five years, revealed Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State for Health, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
The increase in cases has been consistent:
- 1,426,447 cases in 2021
- 1,461,427 cases in 2022
- 1,496,972 cases in 2023
- 1,533,055 cases in 2024
- 1,569,793 cases in 2025
Similarly, cancer deaths also increased in the country -- 868,588 in 2025 from 789,202 in 2021.
The country reported about 15,000 cancer -related deaths each year:
- 789,202 deaths in 2021
- 808,558 deaths in 2022
- 828,252 deaths in 2023
- 848,266 deaths in 2024
- 868,588 deaths in 2025
Worst-Affected States And Key Reasons
Jadhav informed that bigger states with large populations have seen a major increase in cancer cases and deaths consistently in the last five years.
States with the highest estimated cancer cases in 2025 include:
Uttar Pradesh - 226,125
Bihar - 118,136 cases
West Bengal - 121,639 cases
Maharashtra - 130,465 cases
Rajasthan - 80,628 cases
States with the highest estimated cancer deaths in 2025 include:
Uttar Pradesh - 125,184 deaths
Bihar - 65,571 deaths
West Bengal - 67,093 deaths
Maharashtra - 71,696 deaths
Rajasthan - 44,402 deaths
Major reasons for the rise in cancer burden include:
- environmental factors such as industrial pollution, pesticide exposure,
- contaminated water sources, by pollutants like industrial waste, pesticides, heavy metals, and pharmaceuticals.
“The review provides a critical analysis of the current evidence, summarizing the association of water contamination, including industrial waste, pesticides, and heavy metals, with rectal and colorectal cancer,” Jadhav stated in the Upper House of the Parliament.
Cancer Care Facilities In India
Jadhav further informed that the government is tackling the growing burden by expanding cancer care infrastructure across the country.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has implemented the Strengthening of Tertiary Care Cancer Facilities Scheme, which has approved:
- 19 State Cancer Institutes (SCI)
- 20 Tertiary Care Cancer Centers (TCCC)
Other high-quality comprehensive cancer care facilities in the country include:
- Tata Memorial Centre’s (TMC) six hospitals in Varanasi, Visakhapatnam, New Chandigarh, Guwahati, Sangrur, and Muzaffarpur
- Cancer treatment facilities in all 22 new AIIMS
- Advanced diagnostic and treatment facilities at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Jhajjar
- A second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata
- 297 Day Care Cancer Centers (DCCCs) as promised in the Union Budget 2025-26
- Free essential medicines and diagnostics at public health facilities
- Anti-cancer drugs in the Essential Drugs List at District and Sub-Divisional Hospitals
- Health insurance of Rs. 5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care under Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY)
- Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) Pharmacies providing access to affordable cancer medicines.