Cancer in children accounts for less than 1% of all new cancer cases in the UK (2016-2018).[1-4]
46% of children's cancer cases in the UK are in girls, and 54% are in boys.
Children's cancer incidence rates (World age-standardised ) for boys and girls combined are similar to the UK average in all the UK constituent countries.
Children's Cancers (C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5), Average Number of New Cases Per Year, Crude and World Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per Million Population, Ages 0-14, UK, 2016-2018
England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | UK | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Girls | Cases | 722 | 67 | 29 | 27 | 845 |
Crude Rate | 147.4 | 158.3 | 114.2 | 150.4 | 146.8 | |
AS Rate | 151.1 | 163.6 | 119.0 | 154.8 | 150.7 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCI | 144.7 | 140.9 | 94.1 | 121.1 | 144.8 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCI | 157.5 | 186.2 | 143.8 | 188.6 | 156.6 | |
Boys | Cases | 840 | 75 | 46 | 33 | 993 |
Crude Rate | 163.2 | 168.9 | 170.6 | 172.9 | 164.3 | |
AS Rate | 167.5 | 171.3 | 177.1 | 176.7 | 168.5 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCI | 161.0 | 148.9 | 147.5 | 141.7 | 162.5 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCI | 174.1 | 193.8 | 206.6 | 211.7 | 174.6 | |
Children | Cases | 1,561 | 141 | 75 | 60 | 1,838 |
Crude Rate | 155.5 | 163.7 | 143.1 | 162.0 | 155.8 | |
AS Rate | 159.5 | 167.5 | 148.7 | 166.0 | 159.8 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCI | 155.0 | 151.6 | 129.3 | 141.7 | 155.6 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCI | 164.1 | 183.5 | 168.1 | 190.4 | 164.1 |

References
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Data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (part of Public Health England), on request through the Office for Data Release, July 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/cancerregistrationstatisticsengland/previousReleases
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Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, April 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
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Data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-incidence-in-wales-2002-2018/, March 2021.
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Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
About this data
Data is for UK, 2016-2018, ICD-10 C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5.
All children's cancers includes all malignant tumours (ICD-10 codes: C00-C97), and all non-malignant brain, other central nervous system and intracranial tumours (ICD-10 codes: D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43 and D44.3-D44.5).