Gallbladder cancer statistics

• There are around 1,100 new gallbladder cancer cases in the UK every year, that's around 3 every day (2017-2019).
• Gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common cancers in the UK, accounting for less than 1% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019).
• In females in the UK, gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common cancers, with around 810 new cases every year. That's less than 1% of all new female cancer cases in the UK (2017-2019).
• In males in the UK, gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common cancers, with around 340 new cases every year. That's less than 1% of all new male cancer cases in the UK (2017-2019).
• Incidence rates for gallbladder cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89 (2017-2019).
• Each year more than half (54%) of all new gallbladder cancer cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
• Since the early 1990s, gallbladder cancer incidence rates have increased by more than two-thirds (68%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by three-quarters (75%), and rates in males have increased by almost three-fifths (58%) (2017-2019).
• Over the last decade, gallbladder cancer incidence rates have increased by around two-fifths (41%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by almost half (45%), and rates in males have increased by more than a third (35%) (2017-2019).
• Gallbladder cancer incidence rates in England in females are 90% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are 38% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).
• Around 180 cases of gallbladder cancer each year in England are linked with deprivation (around 130 in females and around 45 in males).
• Incidence rates for gallbladder cancer are higher in the Asian and Black ethnic groups, compared with the White ethnic group, in England (2013-2017). See our publication Cancer Incidence by Broad Ethnic Group for more details.
• An estimated 3,600 people who had previously been diagnosed with gallbladder cancer were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.

See more in-depth gallbladder cancer incidence statistics

• There are around 770 gallbladder cancer deaths in the UK every year, that's around 2 every day (2021-2023).
• Gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death in the UK, accounting for less than 1% of all cancer deaths (2021-2023).
• In females in the UK, gallbladder cancer is the 20th most common cause of cancer death, with around 550 deaths every year. That's 1% of all female cancer deaths in the UK (2021-2023).
• In males in the UK, gallbladder cancer is the 19th most common cause of cancer death, with around 220 deaths every year. That's less than 1% of all male cancer deaths in the UK (2021-2023).
• Mortality rates for gallbladder cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 90+ (2021-2023).
• Each year three-fifths (60%) of gallbladder cancer deaths in the UK are in people aged 75 and over (2021-2023).
• Since the early 1970s, gallbladder cancer mortality rates have decreased by almost a third (30%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by around a quarter (24%), and rates in males have decreased by a third (33%) (2021-2023).
• Over the last decade, gallbladder cancer mortality rates have increased by more than a quarter (27%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by more than a quarter (29%), and rates in males have increased by around a quarter (26%) (2021-2023).
• Gallbladder cancer mortality rates are projected to fall by 2% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
• There could be around around 820 deaths of gallbladder cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
• Mortality rates for gallbladder and other biliary tract cancers are generally similar in people of non-White minority ethnicity, compared with the White ethnic group, where data is available, in England and Wales (2017-2019). See the publication Mortality from leading causes of death by ethnic group, England and Wales.

See more in-depth gallbladder cancer mortality statistics

• 3 in 20 (15%) people diagnosed with gallbladder cancer in England survive their disease for ten years or more, it is predicted (2009-2013).
• Gallbladder cancer ten-year survival in England is similar in females and males (2009-2013).
• Almost a fifth (18.2%) of people in England diagnosed with gallbladder cancer aged 15-54 survive their disease for five years or more, compared with more than 5 in 100 (6.7%) people diagnosed aged 75-99 (2016-2020).
• Five-year relative survival for gallbladder cancer is similar to the European average in the UK. Further details on cancer survival in Europe can be found on the EUROCARE website.
• For gallbladder cancer, like other cancer sites, survival trends reflect a combination of changes in treatment and stage distribution. These factors themselves can vary by age, sex and deprivation.
• Further survival statistics by stage can be found on the Early Diagnosis Data Hub and information on treatments for cancer can be found here.
• Further one-, five- and ten-year survival statistics can be found on the Cancer Statistics Dashboard.

• A person’s risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including age, genetics, and exposure to risk factors (including some potentially avoidable lifestyle factors).
• Nearly 1 in 210 UK females and 1 in 670 UK males will be diagnosed with gallbladder cancer in their lifetime (born in 1961).
• 20% of gallbladder cancer cases in the UK are preventable.