UK cancer statistics
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 lifetime.
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Cancer incidence in the UK
In 2021, the most recent year for which data are available, there were 395,181 cases of cancer in the UK. Of these, 200,870 were in men and 194,311 in women1.
Compared with the 2019 data, this is an increase of just under 7,400 cases (around 2%). Cases in men have slightly increased by 0.2% (up from 200,386), and cases of cancer have gone up 3.7% in women (up from 187,434).
Although there are very subtle differences, ‘incidence’ and ‘cases’ both broadly mean the same thing, and refer to the total recorded numbers. Prevalence refers to the proportion of a population who, in this case, have cancer over a specified period of time.
| Cancer incidence | Cancer mortality | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 395,181 | 168,873 |
| Men | 200,870 | 89,625 |
| Women | 194,311 | 79,248 |
Cancer mortality in the UK
In the UK, there were 168,873 cancer deaths in 2021, the latest year for which data is available. Of these cancer deaths, 89,625 were in men, and 79,248 were in women. That’s more than 462 deaths per day.
It’s notable that although cancer deaths have gone up since 2019 (when there were 166,502 recorded), this represents an increase of approximately 1%.
Most common cancers in the UK
The table below shows the most common 15 cancer types in the UK, based on new cases diagnosed in 2021.
| Ranking | Cancer type | New cases (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breast | 59,517 |
| 2 | Prostate | 51,575 |
| 3 | Bowel | 49,914 |
| 4 | Lung | 48,904 |
| 5 | Skin (melanoma) | 18,845 |
| 6 | Non-Hodgkins lymphoma | 13,512 |
| 7 | Kidney | 12,192 |
| 8 | Pancreatic | 11,445 |
| 9 | Head and neck | 11,090 |
| 10 | Bladder | 11,052 |
| 11 | Womb | 10,617 |
| 12 | Leukaemia | 9,437 |
| 13 | Oesophageal | 9,436 |
| 14 | Ovarian | 7,070 |
| 15 | Stomach | 6,813 |
Breast cancer in the UK
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the UK, with 59,517 new cases in 2021. Three in 10 new cases of cancer in women in 2021 was breast cancer (30.5%).
Breast cancer is rare in men, with around 400 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK.
The most common cancers for women in the UK
| Cancer type | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Breast | 59,115 |
| Lung | 23,972 |
| Bowel | 21,945 |
| Uterus | 10,617 |
| Skin (melanoma) | 9,263 |
| Ovary | 7,070 |
| Non-Hodgkins lymphoma | 5,838 |
| Pancreas | 5,715 |
| Kidney | 4,290 |
| Leukaemia | 3,844 |
Prostate cancer in the UK
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK. In 2021, 51,575 cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed – more than a quarter (26%) of all new cases of cancer in men in the UK.
The most common cancers for men in the UK
| Cancer type | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Prostate | 51,575 |
| Bowel | 27,969 |
| Lung | 24,932 |
| Skin (melanoma) | 9,582 |
| Bladder | 8,030 |
| Kidney | 7,902 |
| Non-Hodgkins lymphoma | 7,674 |
| Head and neck | 7,420 |
| Oesophagus | 6,558 |
| Pancreas | 5,740 |
Bowel cancer
Also known as colorectal cancer, bowel cancer is the cancer type with the 3rd highest number of new cases in the UK. In 2021, there were 49,914 new cases (men and women combined), accounting for 12.6% 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 2021 in the UK.
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is the 4th most common type of cancer in the UK across men and women, with 48,904 new cases in 2021 – totalling 12.4% of all new cases (men and women combined).
How to prevent cancer
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 158,000 cases every year in the UK.
There are a number of different 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.
1 Cancer statistics based on combined data from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. World Cancer Research Fund, 2024.
Cancer types in greater detail
More on cancer statistics
Preventing cancer. Saving lives
While society continues to search for a cure, our prevention and survival work helps people to live longer, healthier lives – free from the devastating effects of cancer.