Objective To analyze the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer (PCa) in the world and China based on the data of 2022 global cancer statistics published by the World Health Organization (WHO). Methods Based on the data of 2022 global cancer statistics, the number of incident cases, crude incidence, standardized incidence rate (SIR), number of deaths, crude mortality, and standardized mortality rate (SMR) of PCa in the world and China were systematically described, and stratified according to the age and human development index (HDI). Pearson correlation analysis was applied to evaluate the correlations of SIR, SMR, and mortality-to-incidence ratio (M/I) with HDI. Results In 2022, there were 1 467 000 new cases of PCa in the world, with an SIR of 29.4/100 000, ranking the 2^nd among all cancer types in the males; the number of deaths in the world was 397 000, with an SMR of 7.3/100 000, ranking the 5^th among all cancer types in males. In 2022, the number of new PCa cases in China was 134 000, with an SIR of 9.7/100 000 and an SMR of 3.3/100 000, both ranking the 7^th among males. The number of new PCa cases and SIR in the world increased rapidly from 45 years of age, and the number of deaths and SMR showed a rapid growth trend from 50 years of age; the number of new PCa cases and SIR in China increased rapidly from 60 years of age, and the number of deaths and SMR increased rapidly from 65 years of age. The M/I of PCa in China was 0.337, ranking the 30^th among countries and territories with high HDI. Pearson correlation analysis showed that SIR was positively correlated with HDI (r＝0.440, P＝0.008), M/I were negatively correlated with HDI (r＝－0.877, P＜0.001), while SMR was not correlated with HDI (P＞0.05). Conclusion The burden of PCa is heavy in the world. The incidence of PCa in China is gradually increasing, and it is characterized by high mortality. Actively carrying out early screening of PCa, optimizing the diagnosis and treatment mode with multidisciplinary collaboration, and achieving the whole process management can improve the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of patients.