GITNUXREPORT 2026

Medical Statistics

Cancer and heart disease are reshaping care decisions in real time, from 10 million cancer deaths in 2020 and US costs of $208 billion annually to 697,000 US heart disease deaths each year and cardiovascular spending of $363 billion. This page connects the headline rates to who is most affected and what is preventable, including that 80% of cardiovascular disease cases can be avoided and 30 to 50% of cancers are preventable globally.

105 statistics5 sections6 min readUpdated 16 days ago

Statistic 1

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, causing 10 million deaths in 2020.

Statistic 2

In the US, 1 in 6 men and 1 in 7 women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

Statistic 3

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, killing 1.8 million worldwide annually.

Statistic 4

Breast cancer accounts for 12% of new cancer cases in women globally.

Statistic 5

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide.

Statistic 6

Prostate cancer is diagnosed in 1 in 8 men in the US.

Statistic 7

Survival rate for all cancers combined is 68% in the US.

Statistic 8

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US, with over 5 million diagnoses yearly.

Statistic 9

Pancreatic cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 12%.

Statistic 10

Globally, 30-50% of cancers are preventable.

Statistic 11

Leukemia affects 60,000 new cases yearly in the US.

Statistic 12

Cervical cancer kills 350,000 women annually worldwide.

Statistic 13

Over 18 million new cancer cases in 2020 globally.

Statistic 14

Melanoma skin cancer incidence has risen 30-fold since 1930s.

Statistic 15

Liver cancer deaths: 830,000 globally per year.

Statistic 16

US cancer deaths: 606,520 in 2023.

Statistic 17

HPV causes 5% of all cancers worldwide.

Statistic 18

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: 80,000 new US cases yearly.

Statistic 19

Cancer treatment costs $208 billion annually in US.

Statistic 20

Bladder cancer: 83,000 new US cases in 2023.

Statistic 21

Kidney cancer survival rate: 76% 5-year.

Statistic 22

Thyroid cancer incidence doubled in last 30 years in US.

Statistic 23

Brain cancer: 24,000 new US cases yearly.

Statistic 24

Ovarian cancer: 19,680 new US cases in 2023.

Statistic 25

Uterine cancer rising 2% per year in US.

Statistic 26

Multiple myeloma: 35,000 new US cases yearly.

Statistic 27

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 1 in 5 deaths.

Statistic 28

Approximately 697,000 people die of heart disease in the US each year.

Statistic 29

About 0.8% of US adults have had a heart attack.

Statistic 30

High blood pressure affects nearly half of US adults (47.6%).

Statistic 31

Stroke kills 1 in 6 people who experience it.

Statistic 32

Globally, cardiovascular diseases cause 17.9 million deaths annually.

Statistic 33

Atrial fibrillation affects 2.7 to 6.1 million people in the US.

Statistic 34

Coronary heart disease kills over 370,000 people yearly in the US.

Statistic 35

About 1 in 13 US adults has coronary artery disease.

Statistic 36

Heart failure affects 6.7 million US adults.

Statistic 37

45% of US adults have hypertension.

Statistic 38

Stroke occurs every 40 seconds in the US.

Statistic 39

Cardiovascular disease causes 4 out of 10 deaths worldwide.

Statistic 40

Peripheral artery disease affects 8.5 million Americans.

Statistic 41

Women account for 44% of heart failure cases in the US.

Statistic 42

1 in 3 US adults has high blood pressure.

Statistic 43

Heart attacks occur every 40 seconds in the US.

Statistic 44

Globally, 1.28 billion adults have hypertension.

Statistic 45

US spends $363 billion annually on cardiovascular diseases.

Statistic 46

80% of cardiovascular diseases are preventable.

Statistic 47

Diabetes affects 38.4 million people in the US (11.6% of population).

Statistic 48

97.6 million US adults have prediabetes.

Statistic 49

Obesity affects 42.4% of US adults.

Statistic 50

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of US diabetes cases.

Statistic 51

Diabetes causes 100,000 preventable deaths yearly in US.

Statistic 52

Globally, 537 million adults have diabetes (2021).

Statistic 53

Obesity-related medical costs: $173 billion annually in US.

Statistic 54

1 in 3 US children are overweight or obese.

Statistic 55

Severe obesity affects 9.2% of US adults.

Statistic 56

Diabetes complications include kidney failure (44% of cases).

Statistic 57

23.8 million US diagnosed with obesity.

Statistic 58

Gestational diabetes affects 6-9% of US pregnancies.

Statistic 59

Obesity prevalence highest in non-Hispanic Black adults (49.9%).

Statistic 60

Diabetes is 7th leading cause of death in US.

Statistic 61

90 million US adults over 65 are obese.

Statistic 62

Bariatric surgery reduces diabetes by 78% in some cases.

Statistic 63

Childhood obesity tripled since 1970s in US.

Statistic 64

Insulin resistance precedes type 2 diabetes in 80-90% cases.

Statistic 65

Obesity increases diabetes risk 7-12 fold.

Statistic 66

Globally, obesity tripled since 1975.

Statistic 67

COVID-19 caused over 7 million deaths worldwide as of 2023.

Statistic 68

Tuberculosis kills 1.6 million people annually.

Statistic 69

HIV affects 39 million people globally.

Statistic 70

Malaria causes 619,000 deaths yearly, mostly children.

Statistic 71

Hepatitis B infects 296 million chronically.

Statistic 72

Influenza causes 290,000-650,000 respiratory deaths yearly.

Statistic 73

Measles cases surged 79% globally in 2022.

Statistic 74

1.3 million TB deaths in 2022.

Statistic 75

Dengue affects 400 million people yearly.

Statistic 76

10 million syphilis cases globally in 2022.

Statistic 77

Polio cases: only 12 wild cases in 2023.

Statistic 78

Cholera outbreaks in 46 countries in 2023.

Statistic 79

214 million malaria cases in 2022.

Statistic 80

1.15 million HIV deaths in 2021.

Statistic 81

Hepatitis C: 58 million chronically infected.

Statistic 82

Norovirus causes 685 million cases yearly.

Statistic 83

25 million typhoid cases globally per year.

Statistic 84

Leprosy: 127,000 new cases in 2022.

Statistic 85

Mpox cases: over 100,000 since 2022.

Statistic 86

Mental illness affects 1 in 5 US adults yearly.

Statistic 87

Anxiety disorders affect 19.1% of US adults.

Statistic 88

50 million US adults have mental illness.

Statistic 89

Suicide is 10th leading cause of death in US.

Statistic 90

Depression affects 280 million people globally.

Statistic 91

1 in 6 US youth aged 6-17 have mental health disorder.

Statistic 92

Alzheimer's affects 6.7 million US adults over 65.

Statistic 93

Bipolar disorder affects 2.8% of US adults.

Statistic 94

PTSD prevalence: 6% among US adults.

Statistic 95

Schizophrenia affects 1.5 million US adults.

Statistic 96

Globally, 970 million people live with mental disorder.

Statistic 97

17.3% of US adults have had major depressive episode.

Statistic 98

Parkinson's disease affects 1 million in US.

Statistic 99

OCD affects 2.3% over lifetime in US.

Statistic 100

Autism spectrum disorder: 1 in 36 US children.

Statistic 101

Epilepsy affects 3.4 million US children and adults.

Statistic 102

20% of US adults receive mental health treatment.

Statistic 103

Dementia affects 55 million globally.

Statistic 104

ADHD affects 9.4% of US children aged 2-17.

Statistic 105

Eating disorders affect 9% of world population.

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Sources

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Written by Ryan Townsend·Edited by Peter Sandoval·Fact-checked by Nikolas Papadopoulos

Published Feb 13, 2026·Last verified May 5, 2026·Next review: Nov 2026

Fact-checked via 4-step process— how we build this report

01Primary Source Collection

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Editorial Curation

Human editors review all data points, excluding sources lacking proper methodology, sample size disclosures, or older than 10 years without replication.

03AI-Powered Verification

Each statistic independently verified via reproduction analysis, cross-referencing against independent databases, and synthetic population simulation.

04Human Cross-Check

Final human editorial review of all AI-verified statistics. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited they are.

Read our full methodology →

Statistics that fail independent corroboration are excluded.

Medical statistics are shaping decisions right now, from cancer risk to heart disease burden. In the US alone, cancer deaths reached 606,520 in 2023, while heart disease still accounts for 1 in 5 deaths and causes about 697,000 deaths each year. Pulling these figures together reveals how prevention, screening, and survival outcomes can look very different across diseases and populations.

Key Takeaways

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, causing 10 million deaths in 2020.
In the US, 1 in 6 men and 1 in 7 women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, killing 1.8 million worldwide annually.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 1 in 5 deaths.
Approximately 697,000 people die of heart disease in the US each year.
About 0.8% of US adults have had a heart attack.
Diabetes affects 38.4 million people in the US (11.6% of population).
97.6 million US adults have prediabetes.
Obesity affects 42.4% of US adults.
COVID-19 caused over 7 million deaths worldwide as of 2023.
Tuberculosis kills 1.6 million people annually.
HIV affects 39 million people globally.
Mental illness affects 1 in 5 US adults yearly.
Anxiety disorders affect 19.1% of US adults.
50 million US adults have mental illness.

Cancer and cardiovascular disease drive massive, preventable health burdens worldwide, underscoring urgent prevention and timely care.

Cancer

1Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, causing 10 million deaths in 2020.

Verified

2In the US, 1 in 6 men and 1 in 7 women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

Verified

3Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, killing 1.8 million worldwide annually.

Verified

4Breast cancer accounts for 12% of new cancer cases in women globally.

Verified

5Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide.

Verified

6Prostate cancer is diagnosed in 1 in 8 men in the US.

Single source

7Survival rate for all cancers combined is 68% in the US.

Verified

8Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US, with over 5 million diagnoses yearly.

Single source

9Pancreatic cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 12%.

Verified

10Globally, 30-50% of cancers are preventable.

Verified

11Leukemia affects 60,000 new cases yearly in the US.

Single source

12Cervical cancer kills 350,000 women annually worldwide.

Verified

13Over 18 million new cancer cases in 2020 globally.

Single source

14Melanoma skin cancer incidence has risen 30-fold since 1930s.

Directional

15Liver cancer deaths: 830,000 globally per year.

Verified

16US cancer deaths: 606,520 in 2023.

Verified

17HPV causes 5% of all cancers worldwide.

Directional

18Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: 80,000 new US cases yearly.

Verified

19Cancer treatment costs $208 billion annually in US.

Verified

20Bladder cancer: 83,000 new US cases in 2023.

Verified

21Kidney cancer survival rate: 76% 5-year.

Single source

22Thyroid cancer incidence doubled in last 30 years in US.

Single source

23Brain cancer: 24,000 new US cases yearly.

Verified

24Ovarian cancer: 19,680 new US cases in 2023.

Verified

25Uterine cancer rising 2% per year in US.

Verified

26Multiple myeloma: 35,000 new US cases yearly.

Verified

Cancer Interpretation

While the statistics paint a grim portrait of a relentless global adversary, the silver lining is that our greatest weapon—prevention—lies within our control for nearly half of all cases.

Cardiovascular Diseases

1Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 1 in 5 deaths.

Verified

2Approximately 697,000 people die of heart disease in the US each year.

Verified

3About 0.8% of US adults have had a heart attack.

Single source

4High blood pressure affects nearly half of US adults (47.6%).

Verified

5Stroke kills 1 in 6 people who experience it.

Verified

6Globally, cardiovascular diseases cause 17.9 million deaths annually.

Verified

7Atrial fibrillation affects 2.7 to 6.1 million people in the US.

Single source

8Coronary heart disease kills over 370,000 people yearly in the US.

Verified

9About 1 in 13 US adults has coronary artery disease.

Verified

10Heart failure affects 6.7 million US adults.

Directional

1145% of US adults have hypertension.

Verified

12Stroke occurs every 40 seconds in the US.

Verified

13Cardiovascular disease causes 4 out of 10 deaths worldwide.

Verified

14Peripheral artery disease affects 8.5 million Americans.

Single source

15Women account for 44% of heart failure cases in the US.

Verified

161 in 3 US adults has high blood pressure.

Verified

17Heart attacks occur every 40 seconds in the US.

Single source

18Globally, 1.28 billion adults have hypertension.

Verified

19US spends $363 billion annually on cardiovascular diseases.

Single source

2080% of cardiovascular diseases are preventable.

Verified

Cardiovascular Diseases Interpretation

While our hearts are symbolically the seat of love, the grim statistical reality is that they are far more likely to be the seat of a preventable, expensive, and alarmingly common failure.

Diabetes and Obesity

1Diabetes affects 38.4 million people in the US (11.6% of population).

Verified

297.6 million US adults have prediabetes.

Verified

3Obesity affects 42.4% of US adults.

Verified

4Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of US diabetes cases.

Verified

5Diabetes causes 100,000 preventable deaths yearly in US.

Verified

6Globally, 537 million adults have diabetes (2021).

Verified

7Obesity-related medical costs: $173 billion annually in US.

Verified

81 in 3 US children are overweight or obese.

Directional

9Severe obesity affects 9.2% of US adults.

Verified

10Diabetes complications include kidney failure (44% of cases).

Verified

1123.8 million US diagnosed with obesity.

Verified

12Gestational diabetes affects 6-9% of US pregnancies.

Single source

13Obesity prevalence highest in non-Hispanic Black adults (49.9%).

Verified

14Diabetes is 7th leading cause of death in US.

Verified

1590 million US adults over 65 are obese.

Verified

16Bariatric surgery reduces diabetes by 78% in some cases.

Verified

17Childhood obesity tripled since 1970s in US.

Verified

18Insulin resistance precedes type 2 diabetes in 80-90% cases.

Verified

19Obesity increases diabetes risk 7-12 fold.

Verified

20Globally, obesity tripled since 1975.

Verified

Diabetes and Obesity Interpretation

While obesity wrings out our wallets and fattens our children, it's also quietly drafting a quarter of the country into a life-altering war with diabetes, proving that our most pervasive national crisis might just be served on a plate.

Infectious Diseases

1COVID-19 caused over 7 million deaths worldwide as of 2023.

Directional

2Tuberculosis kills 1.6 million people annually.

Single source

3HIV affects 39 million people globally.

Verified

4Malaria causes 619,000 deaths yearly, mostly children.

Verified

5Hepatitis B infects 296 million chronically.

Single source

6Influenza causes 290,000-650,000 respiratory deaths yearly.

Directional

7Measles cases surged 79% globally in 2022.

Directional

81.3 million TB deaths in 2022.

Verified

9Dengue affects 400 million people yearly.

Verified

1010 million syphilis cases globally in 2022.

Verified

11Polio cases: only 12 wild cases in 2023.

Directional

12Cholera outbreaks in 46 countries in 2023.

Verified

13214 million malaria cases in 2022.

Verified

141.15 million HIV deaths in 2021.

Verified

15Hepatitis C: 58 million chronically infected.

Verified

16Norovirus causes 685 million cases yearly.

Verified

1725 million typhoid cases globally per year.

Verified

18Leprosy: 127,000 new cases in 2022.

Verified

19Mpox cases: over 100,000 since 2022.

Verified

Infectious Diseases Interpretation

While we were all bracing for one pandemic guest, the party of persistent pathogens never really ended, proving that humanity's greatest health challenge isn't just the new headline act, but managing the entire deadly ensemble already on tour.

Financial Services InsuranceHealth Insurance Statistics

Mental Health and Neurology

1Mental illness affects 1 in 5 US adults yearly.

Verified

2Anxiety disorders affect 19.1% of US adults.

Verified

350 million US adults have mental illness.

Verified

4Suicide is 10th leading cause of death in US.

Verified

5Depression affects 280 million people globally.

Directional

61 in 6 US youth aged 6-17 have mental health disorder.

Verified

7Alzheimer's affects 6.7 million US adults over 65.

Verified

8Bipolar disorder affects 2.8% of US adults.

Directional

9PTSD prevalence: 6% among US adults.

Single source

10Schizophrenia affects 1.5 million US adults.

Single source

11Globally, 970 million people live with mental disorder.

Verified

1217.3% of US adults have had major depressive episode.

Verified

13Parkinson's disease affects 1 million in US.

Verified

14OCD affects 2.3% over lifetime in US.

Verified

15Autism spectrum disorder: 1 in 36 US children.

Verified

16Epilepsy affects 3.4 million US children and adults.

Verified

1720% of US adults receive mental health treatment.

Verified

18Dementia affects 55 million globally.

Single source

19ADHD affects 9.4% of US children aged 2-17.

Verified

20Eating disorders affect 9% of world population.

Verified

Mental Health and Neurology Interpretation

If you're feeling alone in your mental health struggle, the cold, hard math says you're in a depressingly large club that's far too underfunded and stigmatized for its staggering global membership.

How We Rate Confidence

Models

Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.

Single source

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.

AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree

Directional

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.

AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree

Verified

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.

AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree

Models

Cite This Report

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APA

Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Medical Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/medical-statistics

MLA

Ryan Townsend. "Medical Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/medical-statistics.

Chicago

Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Medical Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/medical-statistics.

Sources & References

Reference 1
CDC
cdc.gov
cdc.gov
Reference 2
WHO
who.int
who.int
Reference 3
HEART
heart.org
heart.org
Reference 4
MILLIONHEARTS
millionhearts.hhs.gov
millionhearts.hhs.gov
Reference 5
CANCER
cancer.gov
cancer.gov
Reference 6
CANCER
cancer.org
cancer.org
Reference 7
SKINCANCER
skincancer.org
skincancer.org
Reference 8
PUBLICATIONS
publications.iarc.who.int
publications.iarc.who.int
Reference 9
DIABETESATLAS
diabetesatlas.org
diabetesatlas.org
Reference 10
NIDDK
niddk.nih.gov
niddk.nih.gov
Reference 11
UNAIDS
unaids.org
unaids.org
Reference 12
NAMI
nami.org
nami.org
Reference 13
NIMH
nimh.nih.gov
nimh.nih.gov
Reference 14
ALZ
alz.org
alz.org
Reference 15
PARKINSON
parkinson.org
parkinson.org
Reference 16
NATIONALEATINGDISORDERS
nationaleatingdisorders.org
nationaleatingdisorders.org