Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 15% of all new cancer cases (2016-2018).[1-4]
In females in the UK, breast cancer is the most common cancer (30% of all new female cancer cases). In males in the UK, it is not among the 20 most common cancers (less than 1% of all new male cancer cases).
99% of breast cancer cases in the UK are in females, and 1% are in males.
Breast cancer incidence rates (European age-standardised ) for persons are similar to the UK average in all the UK constituent countries.
Breast Cancer (C50), Average Number of New Cases Per Year, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2016-2018
England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | UK | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Female | Cases | 46,479 | 4,799 | 2,784 | 1,483 | 55,545 |
Crude Rate | 165.2 | 172.4 | 175.7 | 156.0 | 166.0 | |
AS Rate | 169.2 | 167.8 | 167.1 | 167.5 | 169.0 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCL | 168.4 | 165.0 | 163.5 | 162.5 | 168.2 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCL | 170.1 | 170.5 | 170.7 | 172.4 | 169.8 | |
Male | Cases | 319 | 24 | 19 | 13 | 375 |
Crude Rate | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.1 | |
AS Rate | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCL | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCL | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 1.4 | |
Persons | Cases | 46,798 | 4,823 | 2,803 | 1,496 | 55,920 |
Crude Rate | 84.1 | 88.9 | 89.7 | 80.0 | 84.7 | |
AS Rate | 89.4 | 90.0 | 88.6 | 89.3 | 89.5 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCL | 89.0 | 88.6 | 86.7 | 86.7 | 89.0 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCL | 89.9 | 91.5 | 90.4 | 91.9 | 89.9 |

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 C50.