All cancers combined statistics

• There are more than 385,000 new cancer cases in the UK every year, that's more than 1,000 every day (2017-2019).
• In females in the UK, there are more than 186,000 new cancer cases every year (2017-2019).
• In males in the UK, there are around 199,000 new cancer cases every year (2017-2019).
• Every two minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer.
• Since the early 1990s, all cancers excluding non-melanoma skin cancer incidence rates have increased by around a seventh (13%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by a sixth (17%), and rates in males have increased by around a twentieth (4%) (2017-2019).
• Over the last decade, all cancers excluding non-melanoma skin cancer incidence rates have increased by less than a twentieth (3%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by around a twentieth (4%), and rates in males have remained stable (2017-2019).
• The latest cancer Incidence age statistics for the UK for Health Professionals. See data for sex, age, trends over time and more.
• Almost half (45.5%) of all cancer cases were diagnosed at stage 3 & 4 (out of those with a known stage at diagnosis) in England in 2018 – that’s more than 118,000 cases. See our new Early Diagnosis Data Hub for more statistics on stage at diagnosis by UK country and cancer type.
• All cancers combined incidence rates are projected to rise by 2% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
• There could be around 506,000 new cases of all cancers combined every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
• All cancers combined incidence rates in England in females are 16% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are 19% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017). Around 16,800 cases of all cancers combined each year in England are linked with deprivation (around 7,100 in females and around 9,800 in males).
• An estimated 2,273,200 people who had previously been diagnosed with cancer were alive in the UK at the end of 2013.
• UK incidence is ranked higher than three-quarters of Europe.
• UK incidence is ranked higher than 90% of the world.

• There are around 167,000 cancer deaths in the UK every year, that's nearly 460 every day (2017-2019).
• In females in the UK, there are around 78,000 cancer deaths every year (2017-2019).
• In males in the UK, there are around 89,200 cancer deaths every year (2017-2019).
• Every four minutes someone in the UK dies from cancer (2017-2019).
• Since the early 1970s, mortality rates for all cancers combined have decreased by around a fifth (19%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by around a seventh (13%), and rates in males have decreased by more than a quarter (27%) (2017-2019).
• Over the last decade, mortality rates for all cancers combined have decreased by a tenth (10%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by around a tenth (9%), and rates in males have decreased by more than a tenth (12%) (2017-2019).
• An estimated 1.19 million cancer deaths had been avoided in the UK by 2021 because mortality rates dropped from their peak levels in the 1980s.
• All cancers combined mortality rates are projected to fall by 6% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
• There could be around around 208,000 deaths of all cancers combined every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
• Cancer causes one in four of all deaths in the UK (2021).
• UK mortality is ranked lower than two-thirds of Europe.
• UK mortality is ranked higher than two-thirds of the world.

• Half (50%) of people diagnosed with cancer in England and Wales survive their disease for ten years or more (2010-11).
• Cancer survival is higher in women than men.
• Cancer survival is improving and has doubled in the last 50 years in the UK
• Five-year relative survival for cancer in men is below the European average in England, Wales and Scotland.
• Five-year relative survival for cancer in women is below the European average in England, Wales and Scotland.

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.

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