Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK, with around 33,100 deaths every year. Mortality rates are higher in males, making it the most common cause of cancer death in this demographic.
View more detailed gender stats on our dashboard for lung cancer
Mortality rates for lung cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89, with around 10.5% of all lung cancer deaths occurring in this age group (2021-2023).
View more detailed age stats on our dashboard for lung cancer
Lung cancer mortality rates have decreased by almost two-fifths (39%) in the UK since the early 1970s, and rates have decreased by around a fifth (21%) in the last decade (2021-2023).
View more detailed trends stats on our dashboard for lung cancer
Lung cancer mortality rates in the UK are projected to decrease by 8% between 2024-2026 and 2038-2040, with around 41,500 deaths each year by 2038-2040.
View more detailed projections stats on our dashboard for lung cancer
Mortality rates for lung cancer in the UK in females are 102% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and rates in males are 93% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least.
Around 13,400 deaths from lung cancer each year in the UK are linked with deprivation (around 6,500 in females, and around 6,900 in males).
View mortality by deprivation statistics and charts on our cancer statistics data hub
View our latest cancer statistics including key stats, in-depth explanations and raw data on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, risk, and diagnosis and treatment.
View full A-Z cancer statisticsSee information and explanations on terminology used for statistics and reporting of cancer, and the methods used to calculate some of our statistics.
Go to local cancer statistics - search profiles by area, constituency or health board in the UK.
Go to devolved nations overview for an overview of Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
You are welcome to reuse this Cancer Research UK content for your own work. Credit us as authors by referencing Cancer Research UK as the primary source. Suggested styles are:
Web content: Cancer Research UK, full URL of the page, Accessed [month] [year].
Publications: Cancer Research UK ([year of publication]), Name of publication, Cancer Research UK.
Graphics (when reused unaltered): Credit: Cancer Research UK.
Graphics (when recreated with differences): Based on a graphic created by Cancer Research UK.
When Cancer Research UK material is used for commercial reasons, we encourage a donation to our life-saving research. Send a cheque payable to Cancer Research UK to: Cancer Research UK, 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.
Donate onlineStay up to date by signing up to our cancer statistics and intelligence newsletter.
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
Calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK, 2024, based on method set out in Siegel R, Ward E, Brawley O, Jemal A., Cancer statistics, 2011: the impact of eliminating socioeconomic and racial disparities on premature cancer deaths(link is external). CA Cancer J Clin. 2011 Jul-Aug;61(4):212-36.
