AbstractBackgroundCancer poses an escalating public health challenge, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of cancer incidence to formulate effective control strategies.AimsThis study aims to present a comprehensive overview of cancer incidence in Iran, utilizing data from the Iranian National Population‐based Cancer Registry (INPCR) for the year 2016.MethodsThe study employed INPCR data to compute crude and age‐standardized incidence rates (ASR) per 100 000 for the most common cancers among men and women across Iran's 31 provinces. Data analysis utilized Excel (2019) and STATA 14.ResultsIn 2016, 124 833 new cancer cases were registered, with 65 495 (52.90%) occurring in men and 58 312 (47.10%) in women. ASRs for all cancers in the total population were 177.48, with specific rates for men and women at 192.96 and 162.33, respectively. The five most common cancers in men were prostate (23.25), stomach (21.56), colon (19.30), bladder (16.20), and lung (13.15). Among women, the leading cancers were breast (40.60), colon (14.64), thyroid (10.84), stomach (10.25), and lung (5.63). West Azarbaijan had the highest incidence among men, while Yazd topped the list for women. Age‐specific incidence rates revealed peaks in the 67–74 age group for men and the 40–50 age group for women.ConclusionThis study affirms that while Iran exhibits a lower cancer incidence compared to global averages, there has been a temporal increase. Disparities in ASR exist across sexes and provinces, with shifts in the ranking of common cancers by sex compared to previous reports.