ENT Liu Knowledge Base Head & neck tumours · physician reviewed
Lip Cancer · Understanding the disease

Where in the world is lip cancer most common?

Reviewed: 8 November 2026 By: Xiangpeng Liu, MD Topic: Lip Cancer Answer length: short, citable
Quick answer

Lip Cancer is not evenly distributed: the highest-burden regions are Papua New Guinea & Melanesia, Australia & New Zealand and Southern & Eastern Europe. In 2022 there were about 32,200 new lip cancer cases (C00) worldwide worldwide (male ASR 0.5 and female ASR 0.2 per 100,000; 4.2% of all lip/oral/pharyngeal cancers in 2022), with marked country-to-country variation driven by local exposures such as tobacco, areca nut, oncogenic viruses, ultraviolet radiation and occupational carcinogens.

In detail

The regional pattern matters clinically. A patient from Papua New Guinea & Melanesia may present with a different risk-factor profile and a different stage distribution than a patient from a low-incidence country, which changes both the differential diagnosis and the pretreatment work-up.

All incidence figures on this site are age-standardised rates or absolute case counts from GLOBOCAN 2022 and its subsite analyses. They describe populations, not individual risk.

  • Papua New Guinea & Melanesia: Lip cancer accounts for 26.5% of the region’s lip/oral/pharyngeal cancers. The highest ASRs worldwide are reported in Papua New Guinea (men 8.2, women 3.3 per 100,000).
  • Australia & New Zealand: Lip cancer makes up 20.5% of the regional lip/oral/pharyngeal burden, historically over a third of all oral-region cancers in Australia; male ASR 3.2, female 1.1. About 90% arise on the lower lip.
  • Southern & Eastern Europe: Lip cancer represents 12.6% of Southern European and 14.1% of Eastern European lip/oral/pharyngeal cancers; elevated male ASRs in Portugal (3.7), Romania (3.2), Poland, Hungary, Serbia and Moldova.
  • Western Asia & Turkey: 14.3% of the regional lip/oral/pharyngeal burden; high cumulative sun exposure in outdoor work is the common theme.
  • East & South-East Asia: Among the lowest rates in the world (<2.5% of regional lip/oral/pharyngeal cancers), reflecting both less intense UV exposure and differences in skin pigmentation.

What this means in practice: this answer is part of the “Understanding the disease” section of the Lip Cancer topic. If you are comparing treatment options, also read how to compare a second opinion and which records to send.

Other common questions about lip cancer

See all 14 questions in this topic →

Sources for this answer

  1. Global incidence of lip, oral cavity, and pharyngeal cancers by subsite in 2022 CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians · 2026 · Subsite-level estimates for 185 countries; the basis of the regional atlas on this site.
  2. Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN 2022) International Agency for Research on Cancer / WHO · 2022 · Source of worldwide and country-level incidence and mortality estimates.
  3. Global Cancer Facts & Figures, 5th Edition (GLOBOCAN 2022 tables) American Cancer Society · 2024
  4. Global incidence of lip, oral cavity, and pharyngeal cancers by subsite in 2022 CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians · 2026 · Subsite-level estimates for 185 countries; the basis of the regional atlas on this site.
  5. Trends of lip, oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers in Australia 1982–2008 BMC Cancer · 2013 · Lip cancer was the dominant oral-region subsite in Australia; strongly UV-related.
  6. Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN 2022) International Agency for Research on Cancer / WHO · 2022 · Source of worldwide and country-level incidence and mortality estimates.
  7. Ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer (fact sheet) World Health Organization · 2024

Written and medically reviewed by Xiangpeng Liu, MD

Associate Chief Physician, ENT & Head/Neck Surgery · Chenzhou First People’s Hospital, Chenzhou, Hunan, China

Editorial policy & reviewer credentials · All sources

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Medical disclaimer: This knowledge base is general information for people researching head and neck tumours, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. It does not replace an examination by a qualified physician. Survival figures are population averages, not predictions for an individual. Treatment and cost estimates for China are illustrative only and must be confirmed in writing after your records have been reviewed. If you have a symptom lasting more than two to three weeks, see a doctor promptly.