Ethiopia cancer control dashboard

Twenty-four indicators for cancer control in Ethiopia. Each states its value, the year it refers to, the organisation that published it, and how it reached this page.

79,239

Estimated new cancer cases

2024

18,840

Breast cancer, new cases

2024

8,159

Cervical cancer, new cases

2024

Cervical screening, ever

2019

Prevention

Auto-updated — refreshed automatically from the publisher's data feed

Hepatitis B vaccination, third dose

81%

2025 · target 90%

Source unavailable — showing the last value collected.

Infants. Hepatitis B causes liver cancer.

Compared with neighbouring countries, 2025

Ethiopia81%
Kenya88%
Rwanda95%
Uganda97%

Table

Hepatitis B vaccination, third dose
Year	Value	Share of target
2000	0%	0%
2001	0%	0%
2002	0%	0%
2003	0%	0%
2004	0%	0%
2005	0%	0%
2006	0%	0%
2007	47%	52%
2008	52%	58%
2009	56%	62%
2010	61%	68%
2011	65%	72%
2012	62%	69%
2013	59%	66%
2014	61%	68%
2015	62%	69%
2016	64%	71%
2017	65%	72%
2018	68%	76%
2019	70%	78%
2020	71%	79%
2021	69%	77%
2022	71%	79%
2023	75%	83%
2024	75%	83%
2025	81%	90%

Refreshed automatically from WHO Global Health Observatory, indicator WHS4_117.

Auto-updated — refreshed automatically from the publisher's data feed

HPV vaccination, target cohort

51%

2025 · target 90%

Source unavailable — showing the last value collected.

Girls aged 9 to 14. Ethiopia’s own administrative reporting records 90 to 94% for 2019 to 2023. The two figures differ and both sit in WHO systems.

Compared with neighbouring countries, 2025

Ethiopia51%
Kenya69%
Rwanda90%
Uganda69%

Table

HPV vaccination, target cohort
Year	Value	Share of target
2019	49%	54%
2020	49%	54%
2021	53%	59%
2022	60%	67%
2023	60%	67%
2024	58%	64%
2025	51%	57%

Refreshed automatically from WHO Global Health Observatory, indicator SDGHPVRECEIVED.

Auto-updated — refreshed automatically from the publisher's data feed

Current tobacco use, adults

4.5%

2024

Source unavailable — showing the last value collected.

Aged 15 and over. This is the modelled estimate (M_Est_tob_curr), 4.5% for 2024. Ethiopia’s 2024 survey measured 4.6% (TOBACCO_MPOWER_M1_PREVALENCE). Different indicators, different bases; neither is adjudicated here.

Table

Current tobacco use, adults
Year	Value
2000	5.4%
2005	5.2%
2007	5.1%
2010	4.9%
2015	4.8%
2020	4.6%
2022	4.6%
2023	4.5%
2024	4.5%

Refreshed automatically from WHO Global Health Observatory, indicator M_Est_tob_curr.

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Tobacco smoking, ages 13 to 15

10.3%

2023

Smoking specifically, not all tobacco use, measured in the Global Youth Tobacco Survey 2023. A different survey and instrument from the adult figure above, so the two are not a like-for-like pair and the gap between them is not a trend.

Table

Tobacco smoking, ages 13 to 15
Year	Value
2023	10.3%

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. (Global Youth Tobacco Survey 2023)

Auto-updated — refreshed automatically from the publisher's data feed

Alcohol consumption per adult

2.3L

2024

Source unavailable — showing the last value collected.

Litres of pure alcohol per person aged 15 and over, recorded and unrecorded, three-year average. SDG indicator 3.5.2. Alcohol is an IARC Group 1 carcinogen. The estimate carries an interval of 1.4 to 3.2.

Compared with neighbouring countries, 2024

Ethiopia2.3L
Kenya2.2L
Rwanda4.1L
Uganda4L

Table

Alcohol consumption per adult
Year	Value
2000	0.4L
2001	0.4L
2002	0.3L
2003	0.3L
2004	0.4L
2005	0.5L
2006	0.6L
2007	0.7L
2008	0.8L
2009	0.8L
2010	0.8L
2011	0.9L
2012	1L
2013	1.1L
2014	1.3L
2015	1.5L
2016	1.7L
2017	2L
2018	2.3L
2019	2.3L
2020	2.3L
2021	2.2L
2022	2.3L
2023	2.3L
2024	2.3L

Refreshed automatically from WHO Global Health Observatory, indicator SA_0000001688.

Early detection

Auto-updated — refreshed automatically from the publisher's data feed

Cervical screening, ever

2019 · target 70%

Source unavailable — showing the last value collected.

Women aged 30 to 49, any method. The 70% target assumes a high-performance test; Ethiopia’s programme uses VIA, which is not one.

Measured once, so there is no trend to show.

Table

Cervical screening, ever
Year	Value	Share of target
2019	4%	6%

Refreshed automatically from WHO Global Health Observatory, indicator NCD_CXCA_SCREENED_WITHIN_TIMEPERIOD.

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Advanced stage at diagnosis

80%

2025

WHO AFRO, November 2025. It describes cases that reached a facility, so it is a case series rather than a population estimate.

Table

Advanced stage at diagnosis
Year	Value
2025	80%

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. (WHO Regional Office for Africa)

Treatment capacity

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Radiotherapy units

0.09per million

2021

Per million population.

Table

Radiotherapy units
Year	Value
2021	0.09per million

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. Indicator DEVICES22. (WHO Global Health Observatory)

Auto-updated — refreshed automatically from the publisher's data feed

Medical doctors

1.56per 10 000

2024

Source unavailable — showing the last value collected.

Per 10,000 population, all medical doctors, reported through the National Health Workforce Accounts.

Compared with neighbouring countries, 2024

Ethiopia1.56per 10 000
Kenya2.6per 10 000
Rwanda1.77per 10 000
Uganda2.06per 10 000

Table

Medical doctors
Year	Value
2003	0.26per 10 000
2004	0.26per 10 000
2005	0.31per 10 000
2006	0.26per 10 000
2007	0.22per 10 000
2008	0.24per 10 000
2009	0.25per 10 000
2018	0.75per 10 000
2019	0.89per 10 000
2020	1.02per 10 000
2021	1per 10 000
2022	1.05per 10 000
2023	1.43per 10 000
2024	1.56per 10 000

Refreshed automatically from WHO Global Health Observatory, indicator HWF_0001.

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Chemotherapy, public health system

Yes

2021

Reported as generally available in the public health system in the 2021 NCD Country Capacity Survey. Kenya and Rwanda reported the same; Uganda reported not available. The survey records availability, not how much of it there is or where.

Table

Chemotherapy, public health system
Year	Value
2021	Yes

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. Indicator NCD_CCS_chemo. (WHO NCD Country Capacity Survey)

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Oral morphine, public health sector

Yes

2021

Reported as generally available in 2021. Ethiopia reported it as not available in the 2017 and 2019 rounds of the same survey. Both answers stand as reported.

Table

Oral morphine, public health sector
Year	Value
2021	Yes

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. Indicator NCD_CCS_OralMorph. (WHO NCD Country Capacity Survey)

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Palliative care in primary care

Not available

2021

Reported as not available in primary and community settings.

Table

Palliative care in primary care
Year	Value
2021	Not available

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. (WHO Global Health Observatory)

Financing

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Out-of-pocket health spending

46%

2023

Share of all health spending paid directly by households.

Table

Out-of-pocket health spending
Year	Value
2023	46%

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. Indicator GHED_OOPSCHE_SHA2011. (WHO Global Health Expenditure Database)

Auto-updated — refreshed automatically from the publisher's data feed

UHC service coverage index

2023

Source unavailable — showing the last value collected.

Scale of 0 to 100, covering essential services across the whole health system rather than cancer specifically.

Compared with neighbouring countries, 2023

Ethiopia33
Kenya57
Rwanda59
Uganda54

Table

UHC service coverage index
Year	Value
2000	13
2001	14
2002	14
2003	14
2004	14
2005	14
2006	17
2007	19
2008	19
2009	19
2010	22
2011	24
2012	24
2013	26
2014	28
2015	30
2016	30
2017	29
2018	29
2019	30
2020	30
2021	29
2022	31
2023	33

Refreshed automatically from WHO Global Health Observatory, indicator UHC_INDEX_REPORTED.

Burden

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Estimated new cancer cases

79,239

2024

All cancers, both sexes. Modelled IARC estimate for the 2024 round.

Table

Estimated new cancer cases
Year	Value
2024	79,239

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. (IARC Global Cancer Observatory, GLOBOCAN 2024)

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Estimated cancer deaths

46,841

2024

All cancers, both sexes. Modelled estimate.

Table

Estimated cancer deaths
Year	Value
2024	46,841

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. (IARC Global Cancer Observatory, GLOBOCAN 2024)

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Breast cancer, new cases

18,840

2024

Women, all ages. The most common cancer in Ethiopia on this estimate, at 23.8% of all new cases. Modelled IARC estimate for the 2024 round.

Table

Breast cancer, new cases
Year	Value
2024	18,840

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. (IARC Global Cancer Observatory, GLOBOCAN 2024)

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Breast cancer deaths

8,812

2024

Women, all ages. Derived from the incidence estimate and a modelled mortality-to-incidence ratio rather than counted, so it moves whenever the incidence estimate moves.

Table

Breast cancer deaths
Year	Value
2024	8,812

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. (IARC Global Cancer Observatory, GLOBOCAN 2024)

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Cervical cancer, new cases

8,159

2024

The second most common cancer in Ethiopia on this estimate, at 10.3% of all new cases. WHO AFRO cited the 2020 round's figure of 7,445 in November 2025; this is the 2024 round.

Table

Cervical cancer, new cases
Year	Value
2024	8,159

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. (IARC Global Cancer Observatory, GLOBOCAN 2024)

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Cervical cancer deaths

5,007

2024

Derived from the incidence estimate, as above. The 2020 round put it at 5,338. Nearly every case is caused by a persistent HPV infection, which is what makes vaccination and screening measurable as prevention.

Table

Cervical cancer deaths
Year	Value
2024	5,007

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. (IARC Global Cancer Observatory, GLOBOCAN 2024)

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Population-based national registry

Yes

2021

Ethiopia reported to WHO in 2021 that one exists. No Ethiopian registry appears in IARC’s Cancer Incidence in Five Continents or Cancer Over Time, and the IARC fact sheet describes Ethiopia’s registry coverage as subnational. Both positions stand as published; neither is resolved here.

Table

Population-based national registry
Year	Value
2021	Yes

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. Indicator NCD_CCS_PBCR. (WHO NCD Country Capacity Survey)

Policy

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Operational cancer control plan

Yes

2021

Ethiopia reported an operational policy, strategy or action plan for cancer to WHO in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021. Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda all reported one in 2021.

Table

Operational cancer control plan
Year	Value
2021	Yes

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. Indicator NCD_CCS_CancerPlan. (WHO NCD Country Capacity Survey)

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Cigarette tax, share of retail price

45.93%

2024 · target 75%

Against a WHO benchmark of 75%.

Table

Cigarette tax, share of retail price
Year	Value	Share of target
2024	45.93%	61%

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. (WHO Global Health Observatory)

Published evidence — entered from a published report and checked by hand

Smoke-free venue categories

8of 8

2024

All eight categories WHO tracks, complete since the 2020 reporting round.

Table

Smoke-free venue categories
Year	Value
2024	8of 8

Entered from a published report and checked by hand. (WHO Global Health Observatory)

How to read this

Burden figures are modelled estimates. IARC rates Ethiopia's incidence estimation method 2b and its mortality method 3c. Read them as estimates with a stated method rather than as counts. The system around the disease is measured directly: immunisation, screening coverage, financing and capacity.

Where sources disagree, both figures appear. WHO's estimate of HPV coverage among the 9–14 cohort was 51% for 2025; Ethiopia's own administrative reporting recorded 90–94% for 2019 to 2023. Ethiopia reported to WHO in 2021 that a population-based cancer registry exists; it does not appear in IARC's series. Neither is resolved here.

Sources. WHO Global Health Observatory · IARC Global Cancer Observatory, GLOBOCAN 2024 (Ethiopia, population 231) · WHO WIISE immunisation data · WHO Global Health Expenditure Database · IAEA DIRAC.

Cite GLOBOCAN as. Ervik M, Laversanne M, Lam F, Colombet M, Ferlay J, Filho AM, Bray F (2026). Global Cancer Observatory: Cancer Today (2024 estimates, version 1.0). Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer.

WHO data is published under CC BY-NC-SA. Not for commercial use.