China vs Japan: Deaths from cancer
China
2.71 million deaths
in 2021
Japan
443,071 deaths
in 2021
China rank
1st
Japan rank
4th
Deaths from cancer over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 2.71 million deaths against 443,071 deaths in Japan, a difference of 2.26 million deaths.
That makes China's figure about 6.1 times Japan's.
Across all 22 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th of 194 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.99 million deaths | 334,089 deaths | 1.66 million deaths | China |
| 2010s | 2.34 million deaths | 402,680 deaths | 1.94 million deaths | China |
| 2020s | 2.67 million deaths | 438,628 deaths | 2.23 million deaths | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher deaths from cancer, China or Japan?
- China, at 2.71 million deaths against 443,071 deaths in Japan as of 2021.
- What is the difference in deaths from cancer between China and Japan?
- 2.26 million deaths, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2021.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for deaths from cancer?
- China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th of 194 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Deaths from cancer. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from malignant neoplasms in both sexes.