Cancer cases in Hong Kong have more than doubled since 1983, yet the age-standardised death rate has nearly halved to 71.1 per 100,000 people by 2023.
When Hong Kong began modern cancer tracking in 1983, it recorded 15,000 new cases and an age-standardised death rate of 136.7 per 100,000 people. Four decades later, new cases reached 38,000 in 2023 while the death rate fell to 71.1.
Cancer remained the leading cause of death that year, claiming nearly 15,000 lives or more than a quarter of all deaths. Hong Kong’s mortality rate stayed well below the OECD average of 191 per 100,000, as well as rates in Japan and South Korea.
Experts credit access to advanced drugs and treatments for the gains. They note that low screening rates and late detection continue to limit further progress in prevention.