Bowel cancer is the 4th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 12% of all new cancer cases (2015).[1-4]
In males in the UK, bowel cancer is the 3rd most common cancer (13% of all new male cancer cases). In females in the UK it is the 3rd most common cancer (11% of all new female cancer cases).
55% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are in males, and 45% are in females.
Bowel cancer incidence rates ( ) are similar to the UK average in all the UK constituent countries.
Bowel Cancer (C18-C20), Number of New Cases, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2015
England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | UK | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male | Cases | 19,178 | 1,989 | 1,278 | 637 | 23,082 |
Crude Rate | 71.0 | 76.2 | 83.8 | 70.1 | 72.0 | |
AS Rate | 84.6 | 88.3 | 89.7 | 91.2 | 85.3 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCI | 83.4 | 84.4 | 84.8 | 84.1 | 84.2 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCI | 85.8 | 92.2 | 94.7 | 98.3 | 86.4 | |
Female | Cases | 15,551 | 1,706 | 981 | 484 | 18,722 |
Crude Rate | 56.0 | 61.8 | 62.3 | 51.4 | 56.7 | |
AS Rate | 56.8 | 60.1 | 57.3 | 57.0 | 57.2 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCI | 56.0 | 57.3 | 53.7 | 51.9 | 56.3 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCI | 57.7 | 63.0 | 60.9 | 62.1 | 58.0 | |
Persons | Cases | 34,729 | 3,695 | 2,259 | 1,121 | 41,804 |
Crude Rate | 63.4 | 68.8 | 72.9 | 60.5 | 64.2 | |
AS Rate | 69.4 | 72.4 | 71.8 | 72.6 | 69.9 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCI | 68.7 | 70.0 | 68.9 | 68.4 | 69.2 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCI | 70.2 | 74.7 | 74.8 | 76.9 | 70.6 |


For bowel cancer, like most cancer types, differences between countries largely reflect risk factor prevalence in years past.
References
- Data were provided by the Office for National Statistics on request, July 2017. Similar data can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/cancerregistrationstatisticsengland/previousReleases.
- Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, August 2017. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
- Data were provided by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales on request, October 2017. Similar data can be found here: http://www.wcisu.wales.nhs.uk.
- Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, July 2017. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
About this data
Data is for UK, 2015, ICD-10 C18-C20.