People with thyroid cancer worldwide, 2021 (GBD prevalent cases)

2 million

people (prevalent cases), worldwide

“In 2021, there were an estimated 2 million (95% UI: 1.8, 2.2) cases of thyroid cancer worldwide, with an age-standardized prevalence rate of 23.1 (95% UI: 20.7, 25.6) per 100,000 individuals, reflecting a 55% increase since 1990.”

Zhang et al., Epidemiological study of thyroid cancer at global, regional, and national levels from 1990 to 2021 (GBD 2021), Front Endocrinol 2025, 2025-08-26

Kind of source

Peer-reviewed study

Read on

2026-11-06

Daily check

Quote found at the source on 2026-11-06

What to know

Modelled prevalent cases as GBD defines cancer prevalence, which is not a count of every survivor ever diagnosed.

About

Thyroid cancer