Ethiopia among top six countries for children orphaned by maternal cancer, WHO report finds
via The Reporter Ethiopia6 min read
Ethiopia is one of six countries with the highest number of children orphaned by maternal cancer, according to the World Health Organization's Global Status Report on Cancer 2026. The report highlights the significant social consequences of the disease, estimating that cancer claimed the lives of 4.4 million women globally in 2020, leaving over a million children newly orphaned. Nearly half of these children were in Asia, and more than one-third 35 percent were in Africa. India, China, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Pakistan collectively accounted for approximately 40 percent of all children worldwide who lost their mothers to cancer. Breast and cervical cancers were identified as the primary causes of maternal orphanhood, responsible for one in four and one in five cases, respectively. Ethiopia's cancer burden mirrors these findings, with the Global Cancer Observatory 2024 estimates showing 79,239 new cancer cases in 2024, including 52,362 among women. Breast cancer constituted 36 percent of female cancer cases, followed by cervical cancer at 15.6 percent. In 2024, 46,841 people died from cancer in Ethiopia, with breast cancer accounting for 18.8 percent and cervical cancer for 10.7 percent of these deaths. The WHO warns that the impact of maternal cancer extends beyond the loss of life, leading to increased risks of long-term mental health problems, emotional trauma, disrupted education, financial hardship, malnutrition, and reduced social support for orphaned children.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Reporter Ethiopia.
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