Between 2013 and 2023, 40 538 cases of occupational cancers were officially recognised in the EU. In 2023, 3 500 occupational cancers were recognised, 191 cases more than in 2022 (3 309).

Occupational cancer is the term given to cancers caused by exposure to carcinogenic factors in the working environment, generally due to long-term exposure. Many of these cases emerge several years after initial exposure, even after 40 years.

Figures for 2020 (3 094 cases), 2021 (3 258) and 2022 (3 309) were lower than the 2013-2019 annual average of 3 909 cases per year, possibly due to the impact of the global pandemic on work environments and healthcare systems.

This information comes from data on occupational diseases published by Eurostat today. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article occupational cancers.

Source dataset: hsw_occ_cnr

Lung cancer and mesothelioma: 81.3% of cases

A closer look at data from 2013 to 2023 reveals that the most common types of recognised occupational cancers were lung cancer with 16 499 cases, and mesothelioma with 16 469 cases (a type of cancer connected to asbestos exposure, which develops in the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs, known as the mesothelium). These 2 types of cancers combined added up to 81.3% of all newly recognised occupational cancer cases during this period. They were followed by 2 696 cases of bladder cancer.

Source dataset: hsw_occ_cnr