Archive · 11 Aug 2026
India Accounts for 68.8% of SAARC Childhood Cancer Cases
Sometimes children get sick with a disease called cancer.
A new study looked at how many children in South Asia had cancer in 2022.
South Asia is a big area that includes countries like India and Pakistan.
The study found that most of the sick children lived in India.
In fact, about 7 out of 10 children with cancer in that area were from India.
That is partly because India has many more children than the other countries.
The most common kind of childhood cancer is called leukaemia, which affects the blood.
Some countries have better hospitals and doctors than others, so children are more likely to survive in certain places.
The World Health Organization wants at least 6 out of 10 children with cancer to get better by 2030.
Doctors say many childhood cancers can be cured if children get the right treatment quickly.
India accounted for 25,939 of the estimated 37,716 new childhood cancer cases (68.8%) across eight SAARC countries in 2022.
Pakistan followed with 7,841 estimated cases, or 20.8% of the SAARC regional total.
Leukaemia was the most common childhood cancer in the region, making up roughly 35% to 50% of cases depending on the country.
The mortality-to-incidence ratio ranged from 0.30 in Sri Lanka to 0.57 in Afghanistan, indicating major differences in health-system capacity.
WHO's Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer targets at least 60% survival for children with cancer by 2030.
- Who
- Researchers analysing GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates for childhood cancer in the eight SAARC countries, including children with cancer in India and the rest of South Asia.
- What
- A study found that India accounted for 68.8% of the estimated 37,716 new childhood cancer cases across SAARC countries in 2022, with 17,698 estimated deaths regionally.
- When
- The study analysed GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates and was published in The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia.
- Where
- The eight SAARC countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
- Why
- India's large child population drives its high share of cases, while differences in cancer detection, registration, access to specialist treatment and health-system capacity explain varying incidence and mortality.
- Total estimated SAARC childhood cancer cases (2022)
- 37,716
- India's cases (share)
- 25,939 (68.8%)
- Pakistan's cases (share)
- 7,841 (20.8%)
- Estimated deaths across SAARC (2022)
- 17,698
- Most common childhood cancer
- Leukaemia (roughly 35%-50% of cases)
- Second most common childhood cancer
- Central nervous system (CNS) tumours (about 12%)
- Mortality-to-incidence ratio range
- 0.30 (Sri Lanka) to 0.57 (Afghanistan)
- WHO 2030 survival target
- At least 60% survival for children with cancer