The rising burden of cancer is being driven by a rapid shift in lifestyles in the developing world to more closely reflect industrialised countries.
Rising rates of smoking and obesity as well as people living longer are contributing to the rise.
Lung cancer, which is mainly caused by smoking, was the most common cancer globally, with 1.8 million cases - about 13% of the total.
The WHO also described a "sharp rise" in cases of breast cancer. Both the incidence and mortality have increased since 2008. The disease in now the most common cancer in women in 140 countries.
Dr David Forman, from the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer, said: "Breast cancer is also a leading cause of cancer death in the less developed countries of the world....
