Objective To investigate the thyroid cancer incidence and mortality in Shanghai 2016 and trend change from 2002 to 2016. Methods Cases of thyroid cancer diagnosed, and thyroid cancer deaths during 2002 to 2016 were included from the population-based cancer registry and Vital Statistics System of Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Both incidence and mortality of thyroid cancer were stratified based on the year when diagnosed or died, and on gender and age, and were analyzed. Both case number and death number, and crude rate, age-specific rate, age-standardized and other rate were calculated. Changing trends in incidence and mortality, crude rate, age-specific rate and age-standardized rate were estimated. The annual percent change(APC) of age-standardized rates of both incidence and mortality was estimated by Joinpoint analysis. The case number and proportion of thyroid cancer in different diagnosis years with some diagnostic character were also calculated. Age-standardized rates of incidence and mortality were adjusted and calculated using Segi′s 1960 world standard population. Results Cases number 7 683 diagnosed as thyroid cancer and death number 138 due to thyroid cancer was in Shanghai 2016. The crude rate of incidence was 53.06/10⁵ and the age-standardized rate 38.10/10⁵. The crude rate of mortality was 0.95/10⁵ and the age-standardized rate 0.31/10⁵. The age-standardized rates of both incidence and mortality in males were lower than those in females. The age-specific both case and death and rates of incidence and mortality increased with aging. The age-specific case number and rate of incidence reached the peak at the age group of both 55-59 years and 50-54 years, respectively. The age-specific death number and rate of mortality reached the peak at the age group of more than 85 years. The age-standardized rate of incidence increased 20.40% per year between 2002 and 2016, however, that of mortality was stable. Papillary thyroid cancer was the dominant histopathological type when the proportion of papillary microcarcinoma increased. The ratio of stage of thyroid cancer was most at stage Ⅰ and increased continually. Conclusions The current status and changing trend of thyroid cancer stratified based on both gender and age were similar to those in most countries of the world, which indicate the risk factors, methods of detection, levels of both diagnosis and treatment improved in Shanghai. Development of the survey and research on thyroid cancer will help to promote more efficient control and prevention strategies, and decrease cancer burden.