Find the latest cancer statistics for the UK, including incidence, mortality, survival rate and preventability. 1 in 2 people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime2.
Here we provide the latest cancer statistics for the UK, as well as what proportion of cancer cases could be prevented.
> Number of diagnosed cancer cases
> Number of cancer deaths
> Most common types of cancer
> Cancer survival rates
> Breast cancer (& most common cancers in women)
> Prostate cancer (& most common cancers in men)
> Lung cancer statistics
> Bowel cancer statistics
> How to prevent cancer
In the UK, 387,820 cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2019, the latest year for which data is available. Of these cancer cases, 200,386 were in men, and 187,434 were in women1.
Compared with the 2017 data, this is an increase of just over 21,500 cases (around 5.8%). Cases in men have risen by around 7.2% (up from 186,883), and cases of cancer have gone up 4.4% in women (up from 179,420).
> Download a table of the UK’s most common cancers
In the UK, there were 166,502 cancer deaths in 2019, the latest year for which data is available. Of these cancer deaths, 88,688 were in men, and 77,814 were in women1. That's more than 450 deaths per day.
It's notable that although cancer deaths have gone up since 2017 (when there were 165,267 recorded), this represents an increase of just 0.7%.
> Download a table of the UK's most common fatal cancers
The table below shows the most common 15 cancer types in the UK, based on new cases diagnosed in 20191.
| Ranking | Cancer type | New cases (2019) |
| 1 | Breast | 56,987 |
| 2 | Prostate | 55,068 |
| 3 | Lung | 48,754 |
| 4 | Bowel | 44,706 |
| 5 | Skin (melanoma) | 17,845 |
| 6 | Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma | 13,979 |
| 7 | Head and neck | 13,049 |
| 8 | Kidney | 12,050 |
| 9 | Pancreas | 11,031 |
| 10 | Bladder | 10,515 |
| 11 | Uterus | 10,021 |
| 12 | Leukaemia | 9,774 |
| 13 | Oesophagus | 9,296 |
| 14 | Myeloma | 7,138 |
| 15 | Ovary | 6,969 |
Below are one-year and five-year survival rates for 5 of the most common cancer types in the UK.
| One-year survival (%) | |
| Cancer type | UK weighted** |
| Bowel | 78.6 |
| Breast | 96.1 |
| Womb/uterus | 89.5 |
| Prostate | 97.2 |
| Lung | 43.8 |
| Five-year survival (%) | |
| Cancer type | UK weighted** |
| Bowel | 58.9 |
| Breast | 85.9 |
| Womb/uterus | 75.4 |
| Prostate | 87.9 |
| Lung | 19.3 |
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the UK, with 56,987 new cases in 20191. Three in 10 new cases of cancer in women in 2019 was breast cancer (30.1%).
Breast cancer is rare in men, with around 400 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK. In 2019, 55,068 cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed1 – more than a quarter (27.5%) of all new cases of cancer in men in the UK. The increase in prostate cancer cases has been attributed to more tests being taken and an increase in life expectancy.
Lung cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the UK across men and women, with 48,754 new cases in 20191 – totalling 12.5% of all new cases (men and women combined).
Also known as colorectal cancer, bowel cancer is the cancer type with the 4th highest number of new cases in the UK. In 2019, there were 44,706 new cases1 (men and women combined), accounting for 11.5% of the total number of new cases.
In fact, the top 4 cancer types accounted for more than half (53%) the total number of new cases in 2019 in the UK.
Cancer is the cause of death for a large number of people each year. Overall, scientists estimate that around 40% of cancer cases could be prevented. That's around 155,000 cases every year in the UK.
There are a range of different risk factors that can influence your chances of developing cancer. However, there are steps that can be taken to help people reduce that risk.
Alongside not smoking, eating a healthy diet, being more active each day and maintaining a healthy weight are important ways you can reduce your cancer risk.
