Around 13,900 new kidney cancer cases in the UK every year (2017-2019).
Deaths
5,100 deaths from kidney cancer, 2021-2023, UK.
Survival
55.6% survive kidney cancer for 10 or more years, 2018, UK.
Preventable cases
34% of kidney cancer cases are preventable, UK, 2015.
There are around 13,900 new kidney cancer cases in the UK every year, that's 38 every day (2017-2019).
Kidney cancer is the 6th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 4% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019).
In females in the UK, kidney cancer is the 10th most common cancer, with around 5,100 new cases every year. That's 3% of all new female cancer cases in the UK (2017-2019).
In males in the UK, kidney cancer is the 5th most common cancer, with around 8,800 new cases every year. That's 4% of all new male cancer cases in the UK (2017-2019).
Incidence rates for kidney cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 80 to 84 (2017-2019).
Each year more than a third (35%) of all new kidney cancer cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
Since the early 1990s, kidney cancer incidence rates have increased by more than nine-tenths (94%) in the UK. Rates in females have almost doubled (99%), and rates in males have increased by more than four-fifths (82%) (2017-2019).
Over the last decade, kidney cancer incidence rates have increased by more than a quarter (28%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by a quarter (25%), and rates in males have increased by around a quarter (26%) (2017-2019).
The most common specific location for kidney cancers in the UK is the kidney itself (2016-2018).
Kidney cancer incidence rates are projected to rise by 15% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
There could be around 21,900 new cases of kidney cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
Kidney cancer incidence rates in England in females are 40% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are 17% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).
Around 1,100 cases of kidney cancer each year in England are linked with deprivation (around 580 in females and around 510 in males).
Incidence rates for kidney cancer are lower in the Asian and Black ethnic groups, and in people of mixed or multiple ethnicity, compared with the White ethnic group, in England (2013-2017). See our publication Cancer Incidence by Broad Ethnic Group for more details.
An estimated 46,800 people who had previously been diagnosed with kidney cancer were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.
There are around 5,100 kidney cancer deaths in the UK every year, that's 14 every day (2021-2023).
Kidney cancer is the 11th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 3% of all cancer deaths (2021-2023).
In females in the UK, kidney cancer is the 14th most common cause of cancer death, with around 1,800 deaths every year. That's 2% of all female cancer deaths in the UK (2021-2023).
In males in the UK, kidney cancer is the 10th most common cause of cancer death, with around 3,300 deaths every year. That's 4% of all male cancer deaths in the UK (2021-2023).
Mortality rates for kidney cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 90+ (2021-2023).
Each year almost three-fifths (55%) of kidney cancer deaths in the UK are in people aged 75 and over (2021-2023).
Since the early 1970s, kidney cancer mortality rates have increased by more than three-quarters (77%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by almost two-thirds (64%), and rates in males have increased by more than three-quarters (77%) (2021-2023).
Over the last decade, kidney cancer mortality rates have increased by around a twentieth (4%) in the UK. Rates in females have remained stable, and rates in males have increased by a twentieth (5%) (2021-2023).
Mortality rates for kidney cancer (except renal pelvis) are generally lower or similar in people of non-White minority ethnicity, compared with the White ethnic group, where data is available, in England and Wales (2017-2019). See the publication Mortality from leading causes of death by ethnic group, England and Wales.
Kidney cancer mortality rates are projected to fall by less than 1% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
There could be around around 6,500 deaths of kidney cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
Kidney cancer deaths in England are more common in people living in the most deprived areas.
Almost 6 in 10 (55.6%) people diagnosed with kidney cancer in the UK survive their disease for ten years or more, it is predicted (2018).
Kidney cancer ten-year survival in the UK is similar in females and males (2018).
More than 8 in 10 (82.6%) females in the UK diagnosed with kidney cancer aged 15-44 survive their disease for ten years or more, compared with more than 1 in 3 (35.7%) females diagnosed aged 75-99 (2018).
More than 3 in 4 (77.0%) men in the UK diagnosed with kidney cancer aged 15-44 survive their disease for ten years or more, compared with almost 4 in 10 (38.0%) men diagnosed aged 75-99 (2018).
Kidney cancer survival has increased in the last 50 years in the UK.
In the 1970s, more than 1 in 5 (22.2%) people diagnosed with kidney cancer survived their disease beyond ten years, by 2018 it was almost 6 in 10 (55.6%).
Around 7 in 10 (70.4%) people in England diagnosed with kidney cancer in the least deprived group survive their disease for five years or more, compared with around 6 in 10 (60.5%) people in the most deprived group (2016-2020).
Five-year relative survival for kidney cancer is below the European average in the UK.
For kidney cancer, like other cancer sites, survival trends reflect a combination of changes in treatment and stage distribution. These factors themselves can vary by age, sex and deprivation.
Further survival statistics by stage can be found on the Early Diagnosis Data Hub and information on treatments for cancer 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).
1 in 68 UK females and 1 in 38 UK males will be diagnosed with kidney cancer in their lifetime (born in 1961).
34% of kidney cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
13% of kidney cancer cases in the UK are caused by smoking.
24% of kidney cancer cases in the UK are caused by overweight and obesity.
See our Early Diagnosis Data Hub; for statistics on routes to diagnosis and screening uptake/coverage (for relevant cancer types)
For the most up-to-date statistics on early diagnosis and other metrics see our publications
Kidney cancer treatment
See our Treatment Data Hub which gathers information and statistics across a number of cancer treatment measures, including proportions of treatments given over time and detailed data on radiotherapy delivery. You can also ”view overviews of many national cancer site audits, split by site and country.
Statistics by cancer type
View our latest cancer statistics including key stats, in-depth explanations and raw data on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, risk, and diagnosis and treatment.
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