Key Statistics for Esophageal Cancer

Learn about key statistics for esophageal (esophagus) cancer, including how common it is and who is most affected.

How common is esophageal cancer?

The American Cancer Society’s estimates for esophageal cancer in the United States for 2025 are:

• About 22,070 new esophageal cancer cases diagnosed (17,430 in men and 4,640 in women)
• About 16,250 deaths from esophageal cancer (12,940 in men and 3,310 in women)

Esophageal cancer makes up about 1% of all cancers diagnosed in the US, but it is much more common in other parts of the world, such as Iran, northern China, India, and southern Africa.

Overall, the rates of esophageal cancer in the US have been fairly stable for many years, but over the past couple of decades, they have been going down slightly.

Who is most affected by esophageal cancer?

Esophageal cancer is more common among men than among women. Overall, the lifetime risk of esophageal cancer in the US is about 1 in 132 for men and about 1 in 437 for women. This risk might be higher or lower for each person depending on their risk factors.

In the US, esophageal cancer is most common in White people and in American Indian and Alaska Native people.

Esophageal cancer becomes more common as people get older. The average age at the time of diagnosis is 69 years. About 9 in 10 esophageal cancers are diagnosed in people who are 55 years of age or older.

For information on survival, see Survival Rates for Esophageal cancer.

Visit the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics Center for more key statistics.