If you are looking for breast cancer statistics Canada reports each year, this page gathers the main figures for you. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women living in Canada, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers.
They are numbers about populations, not about any one person. For the care side of the picture, the hub on breast reconstruction in Canada covers access, coverage and services.
| Item | What the figures say |
|---|---|
| Rank among women’s cancers | Most common cancer among women in Canada, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers |
| New cases in women, 2026 | 32,400 women will be diagnosed, 26% of new cases in women |
| Deaths in women, 2026 | 5,400 women will die, 13% of cancer deaths in women |
| Lifetime chances | About 1 in 8 women will develop it; 1 in 35 will die |
| Breast cancer in men | It can occur in men, but it is not common |
Figures come from the Canadian Cancer Society breast cancer statistics page. Statistics can change as new data are released, so please check the source for the latest numbers.
New cases and deaths in 2026
The Canadian Cancer Society explains that, to give the most current statistics, statistical methods are used to estimate new cases and deaths until actual data become available. It reports that it is estimated that 32,400 women in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2026, which represents 26% of all new cancer cases in women, and that 5,400 women will die from breast cancer, which represents 13% of all cancer deaths in women that year.
The same page expresses these totals as daily averages: on average, 89 women in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer every day and 15 women will die from it every day. Breast cancer is described as the second leading cause of death from cancer in women in Canada.
Both the diagnosis and death figures are projections rather than counted totals, which is why the page speaks of what is estimated. When final registry data are published, the real numbers can differ somewhat from the projections. Readers comparing years should therefore check whether a number is an estimate, a projection or a counted total before drawing conclusions from a change.
Breast cancer in men
Breast cancer is not limited to women. The Canadian Cancer Society notes that breast cancer can also occur in men but is not common, and its table of estimated Canadian breast cancer statistics for 2026 lists 300 new cases and 60 deaths among men, compared with 32,400 new cases and 5,400 deaths among women.
The page also points out that cancer statistics are currently analysed and reported by sex assigned at birth, using male and female categories, and that gaps in data collection need to be addressed to better understand cancer in transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse people.
Lifetime chances
Another way to describe the same burden is as a lifetime probability. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, it is estimated that about 1 in 8 women in Canada will develop breast cancer during their lifetime and 1 in 35 will die from it. These ratios summarise risk across a whole population over a full lifetime, and they do not predict what will happen to an individual.
The screening options available to people in Canada are described in the guide to breast cancer screening Canada.
Trends over the decades
The Canadian Cancer Society describes how rates have moved over time. It says that the rate of new cases of breast cancer in women in Canada rose between 1984 and 1992, and that the rate has since fluctuated from year to year but has mostly stayed the same overall.
The page explains that the increase until the early 1990s occurred partly because mammography was used more often, which meant more cases of breast cancer were found. It adds that the reasons for the later fluctuation are not clear, but may include long-term changes in hormonal factors, such as starting menstrual periods at a young age, breastfeeding and oral contraceptive use.
The death rate follows a different pattern. The Canadian Cancer Society reports that the breast cancer death rate peaked in 1986 and has been declining since. It says this reduction likely reflects the impact of screening and improvements in treatment for breast cancer.
Breast cancer within all cancers
Putting the breast cancer numbers in context requires the totals for all cancers. The Canadian Cancer Society’s statistics at a glance page says researchers estimated 254,100 new cancer cases and 87,900 cancer deaths in Canada in 2026, not counting non-melanoma skin cancer cases among the new cases.
On that statistics at a glance page, breast cancer would account for about one-quarter, or 26%, of all new cancer cases in females, and lung cancer would be the second most common cancer in females after breast cancer. It states that lung cancer would be the leading cause of cancer death in both males and females. Prostate cancer would account for 23% of all new cancer cases in males.
The page also notes that cancer can occur at any age but mostly affects people older than 50, and that in Canada 9 in 10 cancer cases are diagnosed in people older than 50.
Survival by stage at diagnosis
Stage at diagnosis matters a great deal for outlook. The Canadian Cancer Society summarises a study that provided the first 5-year stage-specific net cancer survival estimates in Canada, based on 2015 to 2017 data. It reports that for the most commonly diagnosed cancers, 5-year net survival decreased as the stage at diagnosis increased, and that for most of the cancers studied, including breast, survival was better than 90% when they were diagnosed at stage 1.
These figures describe groups of people, and a single breast cancer diagnosis depends on its own stage, grade and other features. The Canadian Cancer Society explains elsewhere that only a doctor familiar with a person’s medical history and the cancer’s type and stage can combine that information with survival statistics to arrive at a prognosis, so survival statistics are not a forecast for any individual.
Why the numbers are collected
The Canadian Cancer Society explains that cancer statistics show how many people in Canada are diagnosed with and die from cancer each year, and that they show trends in new cancer cases and deaths. They also describe the likelihood of surviving a diagnosis and the percentage of people alive a certain number of years afterwards.
That is why the figures matter beyond headlines. The Canadian Cancer Society describes statistics as an important part of healthcare planning and as a way to measure the success of cancer care and control. For readers, they offer context rather than a personal forecast.
How to read the numbers
Several points help when reading cancer statistics. Current-year figures are projections, the page’s reference list cites the Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee’s projected estimates, and projections are different from counted totals. Counts depend on how a population is defined, such as sex assigned at birth, and on how data are collected across provinces and territories.
Provinces and territories collect data on cancer cases and deaths, and these data are combined to give a picture of how cancer affects people across Canada. Statistics are described as an important part of healthcare planning and as a way to measure the success of cancer care and control.
For people affected by a diagnosis, the practical questions are usually about treatment, surgery and recovery. How long some procedures take to arrange is covered in the guide to breast reconstruction wait times Canada. Decisions about surgery, reconstruction and follow-up belong with the reader’s own surgeon and care team, who can explain how population figures relate to an individual situation.
Frequently asked questions
Is breast cancer the most common cancer in women in Canada?
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Yes. The Canadian Cancer Society describes it as the most common cancer among women living in Canada, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers.
Are the yearly figures actual counts?
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Current-year figures are projections. Statistical methods estimate new cases and deaths until actual data become available.
Can men get breast cancer?
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Yes, but it is not common. The Canadian Cancer Society reports far fewer cases in men than in women.
Do survival statistics predict one person’s outcome?
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No. They describe groups of people, and only a doctor who knows the individual’s cancer can discuss prognosis.
