Background: Increasing burden due to cancer poses a threat to human development, which has resulted in global political commitments reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals as well as the WHO Global Action Plan on NCDs. To determine if these commitments have resulted in improved cancer control, quantitative assessments of the cancer burden are required. In the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 2016 we assessed the cancer burden for 29 cancer groups in order to provide a framework for policy discussion, resource allocation, and research focus. Methods: Cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability adjusted life years were analyzed for 195 countries from 2006 to 2016 using the GBD estimation methods. Levels and trends were analyzed over time, and by Sociodemographic Index (SDI). Changes in incident cases were decomposed into changes due to the epidemiological versus the demographic transition. Results: In 2016, there were 17.2 million cancer cases worldwide and 8.9 million deaths. Incident cases increased by 28% between 2006 and 2016. The smallest increase was seen in high-SDI countries. Aging contributed 17%, population growth 12%, and changes in age-specific rates -1% to this change. The most common cancer globally for men was prostate cancer (1.4 million). The leading cause of cancer deaths and DALYs was tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer (1.2 million deaths and 25.4 million DALYs). For women, the most common cancer and leading cause of cancer deaths and DALYs was breast cancer (1.7 million cases, 535 000 deaths and 14.9 million DALYs). Between 2006 and 2016, the average annual age-standardized incidence rates for all cancers increased in 154 of 285 countries. The average annual age-standardized death rates for all cancers decreased in 221 of 285 countries. Conclusions: Large disparities exist between countries in cancer burden. Scaling up cancer prevention and ensuring universal access to cancer care are required for health equity and to fulfill the global commitments for NCDs and cancer control.