Story highlights
Of all female cancer deaths, breast cancer claims the most lives
The economic toll of female cancer deaths is estimated at $286 billion a year
The number of women dying worldwide from cancer is expected to rise to 5.5 million by 2030, roughly the equivalent population of Denmark, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society (PDF).
Those numbers would be an increase of almost 60% from cancer death rates in 2012, when 3.5 million women lost their lives to the disease.
But the biggest leap in deaths from cancer is expected to come from low- and middle-income countries, according to the report presented at the World Cancer Congress in Paris on Tuesday.
Though women in these countries are living longer, they were also found to be adopting riskier habits such as smoking and poor diets.
Does your country determine your survival rate?
In 2012, the highest reported rates of cancer were in high-income countries, partly due to better health care screening and detection. Countries with the highest number of cases were Denmark, the United States, South Korea, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The US has seen a 20% drop in cancer incidence and mortality rates since 1991, and report author Sally Cowal says this was partly due to better tobacco control and medical treatment.
However, the highest death rates were seen in poorer nations such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya, Mongolia and Papua New Guinea, where access to health care is less widespread.