Children's cancer statistics
Cases
1,900 new cancer cases in children in the UK every year (2017-2019).
Deaths
Survival
84% survive children's cancers for 5 or more years, 2012-16, UK
Preventable cases
Children's cancers risk factors are not well understood, mainly because this group of cancers are relatively rare and diverse
- There are around 1,900 new cancer cases in children in the UK every year, that's more than 5 every day (2017-2019).
- In girls in the UK, there are around 850 new cancer cases every year (2017-2019).
- In boys in the UK, there are around 1,000 new cancer cases every year (2017-2019).
- Children's cancers incidence rates in the UK are highest in the under-fives age group, with almost 1 in 2 (45%) of all new cancer cases being diagnosed in this age group (2017-2019).
- Since the early 2000s, children's cancers incidence rates have increased by around a tenth (11%) in the UK. Rates in girls have increased by a tenth (10%) and rates in boys have increased by around a tenth (11%) (2017-2019).
- Over the last decade, children's cancers incidence rates have increased by around a tenth (9%) in the UK. Rates in girls have remained stable, and rates in boys have increased by around a tenth (11%) (2017-2019).
- Leukaemias, brain, other CNS and intracranial tumours and lymphomas together account for around two-thirds of all cancers diagnosed in UK children (1997-2016).
- Leukaemias are the most common diagnosed cancers in children (1997-2016).
- There are around 220 cancer deaths in children in the UK every year, that's more than 4 every week (2021-2023).
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In girls in the UK, there are around 95 cancer deaths every year (2021-2023).
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In boys in the UK, there are around 130 cancer deaths every year (2021-2023).
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Children's cancer mortality rates in the UK are highest in the under-fives age group, with around 1 in 3 (34%) of all new cancer deaths occurring in this age group (2021-2023).
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Since the early 2000s, children's cancer mortality rates have decreased by a third (33%) in the UK. Rates in girls have decreased by a third (33%) and rates in boys have decreased by a third (33%) (2021-2023).
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Over the last decade, children's cancer mortality rates have decreased by around a seventh (15%) in the UK. Rates in girls have remained stable, and rates in boys have remained stable. (2021-2023).
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The most common cause of cancer death in children is malignant brain, other central nervous system (CNS) and intracranial tumours, followed by leukaemia (2021-2023).
- Around 7 in 10 (72%) people diagnosed with cancer in childhood in the UK survive for twenty years or more (1997-2001).
- Around 8 in 10 (80%) people diagnosed with cancer in childhood in the UK survive for ten years or more (2007-2011).
- More than 8 in 10 (84%) people diagnosed with cancer in childhood in the UK survive for five years or more (2012-2016).
- One-, five, and ten-year survival for all childhood cancers combined does not differ significantly by age (0-4, 5-9, and 10-14 year-olds).
- Survival for children's cancers has more than doubled since the 1970s in the UK.
- In the 1970s, more than a third of children diagnosed with cancer in the UK survived beyond ten years, now it's around 8 in 10.
- There are 12 main groups of children’s cancers, and survival varies considerably between them.
- Survival has increased for all main groups of children’s cancer since the early 1970s, but by varying amounts and at different points in time.
- Children's cancers survival in the UK and Ireland is similar to the European average.
- Further survival statistics for children and young people in the UK can be found here.
- A person’s risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including age, genetics, and exposure to risk factors (including some potentially avoidable lifestyle factors).
- Lifestyle risk factors probably have less impact on cancer risk in childhood than adult cancer risk, because children have had less time to be exposed to these factors. Overall, evidence on children's cancer risk factors is limited, mainly because of the relative rarity and diversity of this group of cancers.
- Around 1 in every 420 boys and around 1 in every 490 girls in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer by age 14, it is estimated.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the many organisations across the UK which collect, analyse, and share the data which we use, and to the patients and public who consent for their data to be used. Find out more about the sources which are essential for our statistics.