Around 250 children die daily from cancer worldwide
February 16, 2026 06:57 pm
Around 250 children die globally each day from cancer, according to international health data.
The International Childhood Cancer Day fell yesterday (15). This year’s theme, “Demonstrating Impact: From Challenge to Change,” highlighted the power of global unity and the progress being made toward ensuring equal access to cancer care for all children.
Medical specialists speaking on the “REBUILD Sri Lanka” programme on TV Derana noted that childhood cancer remains a severe and steadily increasing disease both locally and worldwide.
Global data analysis indicates that approximately 400,000 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed worldwide each year.
Annually, around 91,250 children die from cancer globally, with an estimated 250 child cancer patients losing their lives each day.
Latest data shows a gradual increase in cancer incidence among children under the age of 18 in recent years, according to medical experts.
According to international cancer research institutions, nearly 20 million new cancer cases were reported worldwide in 2022.
In the same year, approximately 13 million cancer-related deaths were recorded globally.
The World Health Organization has warned that by 2030, the number of new cancer cases reported annually could rise to between 22 and 27 million worldwide.
