Hong Kong reports more than 40% drop in cancer-related death rate over 30 years

Hong Kong has cut its rate of cancer-related deaths by more than 40 per cent over the past three decades, the health minister said, as the city’s leader renewed his pledge to make it a hub for medical innovation.

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau outlined the city’s progress in cancer control at the World Cancer Congress, which is being held in Hong Kong for the first time.

Citing figures from 1993 to 2023, Lo said Hong Kong’s age-standardised cancer mortality rate had fallen by more than 40 per cent. Over the past 10 years, the annual decline was 2.8 per cent for men and 1.7 per cent for women.

“This is a remarkable achievement, showing that Hong Kong is really making significant life-saving progress against cancer,” Lo said during a plenary session at the congress.