Cancer statistics in the UK

People dying from cancer

Cancer remains the biggest overall cause of death for people in the UK (reference iii). Each year, more than 168,000 people die from cancer in the UK, an average of 460 people every day. However, mortality has increased at a much slower rate in comparison to incidence, showing a rise of 5% between 2012 and 2022.

Additionally, age-standardised rates of cancer mortality per 100,000 people, allowing for comparisons despite the aging population, decreased by around 10%, on average across UK nations, between 2012 and 2022 (reference iv). Cancer incidence and mortality statistics for 2020 and 2021 have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cancer waiting times

For over a decade, published figures on the number of people waiting for a diagnosis or treatment for cancer have shown the huge challenge facing NHS cancer services, with tens of thousands of people waiting for too long for diagnosis or vital treatment. This has been an ongoing issue, but has worsened further in recent years, partly as a result of ongoing staff shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic, across the UK. 

Performance against cancer waiting times targets in all UK nations fell to among the worst on record in 2023 and 2024, and showed a mixed picture with only some partial improvements in 2025. As of January 2025, half of people people having cancer treatment in the UK (50%) were worried about general pressures on the NHS affecting their chances of survival, according to a Macmillan/YouGov survey of over 2,000 adults diagnosed with cancer (reference v). 

Further cancer waiting times data and information is available across the UK from NHS England, Public Health Scotland, Welsh Government and the Department of Health in Northern Ireland. Our analyses of the national publications on cancer waiting times are regularly updated and included in Macmillan’s press releases and statements.

Living beyond a cancer diagnosis

While there is still much need for improvement, particularly for some cancer types and compared with other countries, average survival rates for cancer patients in the UK have increased significantly in recent decades. One study showed that in England and Wales in the 1970s, around half of people with cancer survived an average of one year, whereas by 2010 around half of patients survived an average of 10 years (reference vi).

However, there are noticeable differences in age-standardised net survival rates between different cancer types. For example, in England in 2021, melanoma of the skin had the highest 1-year (98.0%) and 5-year (92.6%) age-standardised net survival rates and pancreatic cancer the lowest 1-year (27.7%) and 5-year (8.3%) survival (reference vii)

Macmillan analysis shows that that UK cancer survival rates are up to 25 years behind other European countries.

And while it is clearly good news that more people are surviving cancer, progress can be a double-edged sword unless those living longer after cancer receive appropriate support. Our report
‘Throwing Light on the Consequences of Cancer and its Treatment’ (and the accompanying lay summary report  ‘Cured – But at What Cost?’) revealed another vital aspect of the changing cancer story. We estimate around one in four (25%) people with cancer are living with the long-term consequences of cancer or its treatment (reference viii).

The cancer journey

Macmillan has identified stages along people’s cancer journey when experiences are commonly shared, with five key moments (diagnosis, treatment, recovery, treatable but not curable and end of life) where there is a particularly high level of unmet need.

 

Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA)

The Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA or eHNA in its electronic format) is a questionnaire to identify the concerns of people living with cancer at any stage of the cancer pathway, to facilitate a conversation about their needs and to develop a Personalised Care and Support Plan, through their cancer journey.

In 2024, 65,000 eHNAs were carried out through Macmillan’s platform, which helped identify tens of thousands of concerns from people living with cancer. This was a 11% increase on 2023 (reference ix).  

 

Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES)

The Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) is a survey to understand the experiences of people living with cancer. In England, the national CPES is run by NHS England. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, it has been run by the following organisations with support from Macmillan: the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland, the former Wales Cancer Network (now NHS Wales National Cancer Team), and Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency and former Health and Social Care Board.

The most recent national surveys reported mostly positive results (on a scale of 0-10, where 10 is ‘very good’) with key areas for improvement: 

• In England, although respondents to the most recent survey (2024) gave an average rating of 8.94 for overall care, only 73.1% of them said they were able to have a discussion about their needs or concerns prior to treatment (reference x). 
• In Scotland, 95% of respondents to the most recent survey (2024) said their care was positive overall, rating it 7 or more. However, 30% of respondents said they did not receive emotional or psychological support by healthcare professionals during their treatment (reference xi).
• In Wales, 92% of respondents to the most recent survey (2021) said their care was positive overall, with 90% saying they were treated with dignity and respect when in hospital. However, 36% of people said that they had not been offered information about how to access financial help or benefits.
• In Northern Ireland, the most recent survey was carried out in 2018, and on average respondents rated their overall care as 9 out of 10 (reference xiii)

Analysis of CPES results also reveals significant variation in experience between different groups of people with cancer. For example, England’s national CPES has consistently shown since its first publication in 2010 that people from ethnically diverse groups, as well as the young, the very old and women, overall report a poorer experience of cancer services than the national average.

Cancer Quality of Life Survey

Conducted by NHS England, the Cancer Quality of Life Survey is a national survey composed of two questionnaires, focused on the general health and quality of life. It is completed by people with cancer in England around 18 months after their diagnosis, along with a sample of the general population for comparison.

Results from survey responses received up to May 2025 highlighted that people with cancer gave a lower score for overall health (74 out of 100), in comparison to that of the general population (90 out of 100). People with cancer also gave lower scores in the quality of life categories of work or leisure activities (74 out of 100). The results also suggested that difficulty sleeping (reported by 26% of respondents with cancer) was one of the symptoms which may benefit from further investigation, for its impact on people’s quality of life (reference xiv).