One in Ten Americans Have Had Cancer Shocking Data Reveals
Nearly one in ten Americans now say they have been diagnosed with cancer, the highest number ever recorded nationwide. Gallup’s latest data show that 9.7 percent of US adults had received a cancer diagnosis at least once in their lifetime after interviews conducted between 2024 and 2025. That figure marks a nine percent increase from the previous survey period and the record set in 2022 and 2023, when 8.9 percent of respondents reported a cancer diagnosis. It also represents a nearly 40 percent rise from the survey’s starting point in 2008–2009, when seven percent said they had been diagnosed. Gallup experts cautioned that the rise did not necessarily reflect an increase in cancer rates in the population, but instead showed shifts in the population. The total number of new cancer cases is rising in the US, estimates suggest, but because the population is also rising, the rate, or number of new cases per 100,000 people, has remained broadly similar. Researchers say the US now has more cancer survivors than ever because the population contains more older adults, who are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, and because survival rates have vastly improved. The American Cancer Society estimates that cancer mortality has declined 34 percent from 1991 to 2022, reflecting an improvement in treatments and screening techniques, leading to more cases being detected earlier when they are easier to treat. According to the CDC, the rate of new cancer diagnoses actually fell four percent between 2013 and 2022. Researchers also noted, however, an uptick in cancers, including breast and colon cancer, among younger adults, which is driving a new concerning trend. A study recently showed that 14 cancers in under-50s are rising, while experts say patients in this group have a higher fatality rate because they are more likely to be diagnosed at the later stages, when they are much harder to treat. Doctors have been raising the alarm over rising cancer rates among young adults for years, although the causes are not clear, and they've blamed everything from more sedentary lifestyles and poor diet to toxins and ultra-processed foods. For the poll, Gallup conducted telephone interviews with a nationally-representative sample of 30,000 adults across all 50 states and Washington DC from February to September 2025. To determine whether participants had received a cancer diagnosis, the team asked: 'Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have cancer?' Overall, over the 15 years since the survey began, older Americans have shown the fastest rise in the proportion who have been diagnosed with cancer.
In This Article:
- Shifting demographics drive the rise in cancer diagnoses
- Older Americans are seeing the fastest rise
- Gender and race gaps in cancer diagnoses
- A rising concern: cancers among younger adults
- Mortality and survivorship context
- Personal story: Monica
- Survey methodology and questions
- Bottom line: a nuanced national picture
Shifting demographics drive the rise in cancer diagnoses
The year 2025 pulses with a striking paradox: more Americans are living with a cancer diagnosis than ever before, yet some scientists caution that the rise in the number of people told they have cancer may reflect shifts in the population rather than a simple uptick in incidence. The Gallup data show that the 9.7 percent lifetime diagnosis is the highest on record, and experts emphasize that this is not a straightforward reflection of rising cancer rates. Gallup experts cautioned that the rise did not necessarily reflect an increase in cancer rates in the population, but instead showed shifts in the population.
Older Americans are seeing the fastest rise
Across 15 years of data, older Americans have shown the fastest rise in the proportion who report a cancer diagnosis. Among those over 65, 21.5 percent now say they have received a cancer diagnosis, up 3.4 percent compared to the 2008 to 2009 period. Among those aged 45 to 64, 8.9 percent now say they have received a cancer diagnosis, up 1.5 percent compared to the same period. Meanwhile, among those aged 18 to 44, the proportion who have received a cancer diagnosis remained steady since 2008 to 2009, when the survey began. Gallup researchers did not say why rates remained steady in the younger age group, but this may have been because the survey sample size was too small to detect any significant increase in the group.
Gender and race gaps in cancer diagnoses
Overall, men were more likely to say they had received a cancer diagnosis than women. A total of 9.8 percent of men said they had received the diagnosis in the latest survey, compared to 9.6 percent of women. Among men, the proportion saying they had received a diagnosis was up 3.6 percent over the 15-year period, compared to up 1.7 percent among women. By ethnic group, Black adults saw the fastest increase in the proportion saying they had been diagnosed with cancer, a rise of 3.6 percent overall. They were followed by white adults, who had a 2.7 percent uptick, and Hispanic adults, who had a 2.3 percent rise. At the other end of the scale, Asian adults saw the slowest growth in the proportion who said they had received a cancer diagnosis, up 1.4 percent over the 15-year period. Overall, white adults were most likely to receive a cancer diagnosis, the survey suggested, at 10.9 percent saying they had been told they had cancer. The diagnosis was least likely among Asian adults overall. The survey showed 3.2 percent said they had previously received a cancer diagnosis. Among black adults, it was 7.8 percent, and among Hispanic adults, it was 5.4 percent. Gallup experts said: 'Overall, the cancer story in the US is mixed with both good news and bad news. Mortality is falling and people are living longer post-diagnosis, but an aging population and an increasing percentage of those living post-removal or post-remission bring their own challenges to the US healthcare system. Even after being clinically cancer-free, survivors typically remain under structured medical surveillance for years, and sometimes indefinitely, depending on the cancer type, stage and treatment history. The result is that even as millions of Americans are no longer acutely ill, they remain medically engaged, seeing oncologists or other specialists, undergoing scans, managing late effects and living with ongoing health anxiety.'
A rising concern: cancers among younger adults
Doctors have been raising the alarm over rising cancer rates among young adults for years, although the causes are not clear, and they've blamed everything from more sedentary lifestyles and poor diet to toxins and ultra-processed foods. A study recently showed that 14 cancers in under-50s are rising, while experts say patients in this group have a higher fatality rate because they are more likely to be diagnosed at the later stages, when they are much harder to treat.
Mortality and survivorship context
The American Cancer Society estimates that cancer mortality has declined 34 percent from 1991 to 2022, reflecting an improvement in treatments and screening techniques, leading to more cases being detected earlier when they are easier to treat. According to the CDC, the rate of new cancer diagnoses actually fell four percent between 2013 and 2022. Researchers also noted, however, an uptick in cancers, including breast and colon cancer, among younger adults, which is driving a new concerning trend.
Personal story: Monica
Shown above is Monica, who did not give her last name, who was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer last year at the age of 31 years old
Survey methodology and questions
For the poll, Gallup conducted telephone interviews with a nationally-representative sample of 30,000 adults across all 50 states and Washington DC from February to September 2025. To determine whether participants had received a cancer diagnosis, the team asked: 'Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have cancer?'
Bottom line: a nuanced national picture
The data point to a nuanced national picture: more people are living with a cancer diagnosis, but there are ongoing challenges for the health system, aging demographics, and shifting risk patterns that require continued attention from clinicians, researchers, and policymakers.
