Key Statistics for Ovarian Cancer

The American Cancer Society estimates for ovarian cancer in the United States for 2023 are:

• About 19,710 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
• About 13,270 women will die from ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. A woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 78. Her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 108. (These statistics don’t count low malignant potential ovarian tumors.)

This cancer mainly develops in older women. About half of the women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer are 63 years or older. It is more common in White women than Black women.

The rate at which women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer has been slowly falling over the past 20 years. The incidence rate declined by 1% to 2% per year from 1990 to the mid-2010s and by almost 3% per year from 2015 to 2019. This trend is likely due at least in part to increased oral contraceptive use in the latter half of the past century and decreased menopausal hormone therapy use during the 2000s, both of which can lower risk.

Ovarian cancer mortality has declined from 2% annually during the 2000s and early 2010s to more than 3% annually from 2016 to 2020, reflecting both decreased incidence and improved treatment.

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