Lung cancer mortality statistics
Lung cancer mortality by gender and UK country
| Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK, with around 33,100 deaths every year. Mortality rates are higher in males, making it the most common cause of cancer death in this demographic. |
Lung cancer mortality by age
| Mortality rates for lung cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89, with around 10.5% of all lung cancer deaths occurring in this age group (2021-2023). |
Lung cancer mortality trends over time
| Lung cancer mortality rates have decreased by almost two-fifths (39%) in the UK since the early 1970s, and rates have decreased by around a fifth (21%) in the last decade (2021-2023). |
Lung cancer mortality projections
| Lung cancer mortality rates in the UK are projected to decrease by 8% between 2024-2026 and 2038-2040, with around 41,500 deaths each year by 2038-2040. |
Lung cancer by deprivation
|
Mortality rates for lung cancer in the UK in females are 102% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and rates in males are 93% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least. Around 13,400 deaths from lung cancer each year in the UK are linked with deprivation (around 6,500 in females, and around 6,900 in males). |
An estimated 668,000 lung cancer deaths have been avoided in the UK by 2021 because mortality rates dropped from their peak levels in the 1970s for males and 2000s for females [1-4].
This includes more than 653,000 male deaths avoided since the male mortality rate peaked in 1979, and around 14,300 female deaths avoided since the female mortality rate peaked in 2008.
See also
Lung cancer incidence statistics by sex and UK region
Lung cancer survival statistics
Cancer mortality statistics for common cancers in the UK
References
- Calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK, 2024, based on method set out in Siegel R, Ward E, Brawley O, Jemal A., Cancer statistics, 2011: the impact of eliminating socioeconomic and racial disparities on premature cancer deaths. CA Cancer J Clin. 2011 Jul-Aug;61(4):212-36.
About this data
Data is for UK, 1971-2021, ICD-10 C33-C34.
The number of avoided lung cancer deaths is estimated by comparing the actual number of lung cancer deaths observed, with the number of lung cancer deaths expected if mortality rates had not fallen from their overall peak. The number of lung cancer deaths expected is calculated by subtracting the number of observed lung cancer deaths from the number of expected lung cancer deaths. Expected lung cancer deaths is calculated by applying age- and sex-specific lung cancer mortality rates from the year in which age- and nation-specific lung cancer age-standardised mortality rates peaked, to corresponding population figures.
Last reviewed: 13 November 2024
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