Non-Hodgkin lymphoma statistics

Cases

New cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma each year, 2017-2019 average, UK

Deaths

Deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 2017-2019, UK.

Survival

Survive Non-Hodgkin lymphoma for 10 or more years, 2013-2017, England

Preventable cases

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases are preventable, UK, 2015

 

  • There are around 13,600 new non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases in the UK every year, that's 37 every day (2017-2019).
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the 7th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 4% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the 8th most common cancer, with around 6,000 new cases every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the 8th most common cancer, with around 7,600 new cases every year (2017-2019).
  • Incidence rates for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the UK are highest in people aged 80 to 84 (2017-2019).
  • Each year almost 4 in 10 (37%) of all new non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1990s, non-Hodgkin lymphoma incidence rates have increased by more than a quarter (29%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by more than a quarter (27%), and rates in males have increased by more than a quarter (29%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, non-Hodgkin lymphoma incidence rates have remained stable in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by a twentieth (5%), and rates in males have remained stable (2017-2019).
  • See our new Early Diagnosis Data Hub for statistics on stage at diagnosis for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma incidence rates are projected to fall by 11% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around 14,200 new cases of non-hodgkin lymphoma every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma incidence rates in England in females are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are 10% lower in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).
  • Around 240 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma each year in males in England are linked with lower deprivation.
  • Incidence rates for non-Hodgkin lymphoma are lower in the Asian and Black ethnic groups, and in people of mixed or multiple ethnicity, compared with the White ethnic group, in England (2013-2017). See our publication Cancer Incidence by Broad Ethnic Group for more details.
  • An estimated 76,800 people who had previously been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.

See more in-depth NHL incidence statistics

  • There are around 4,900 non-Hodgkin lymphoma deaths in the UK every year, that's 13 every day (2017-2019).
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the 11th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 3% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the 11th most common cause of cancer death, with around 2,200 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the 13th most common cause of cancer death, with around 2,700 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89 (2017-2019).
  • Each year around 6 in 10 of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma deaths (59%) in the UK are in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1970s, non-Hodgkin lymphoma mortality rates have increased by around three-quarters (74%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by two-thirds (66%), and rates in males have increased by around four-fifths (79%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, non-Hodgkin lymphoma mortality rates have decreased by more than a twentieth (7%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by around a tenth (9%), and rates in males have decreased by more than a twentieth (7%) (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for lymphomas, myeloma and leukaemias combined are generally lower or similar in people of non-White minority ethnicity, compared with the White ethnic group, in England and Wales (2017-2019). See the publication Mortality from leading causes of death by ethnic group, England and Wales.
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma mortality rates are projected to fall by 12% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around around 6,000 deaths of non-hodgkin lymphoma every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma deaths in England are more common in females living in the most deprived areas. There is no association for males.

See more in-depth NHL mortality statistics

  • Almost 6 in 10 (54.7%) people diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in England survive their disease for ten years or more, it is predicted (2013-2017).
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma ten-year survival in England is higher in females than males (2013-2017).
  • More than 8 in 10 (82.1%) people in England diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma aged 15-44 survive their disease for ten years or more, compared with around a third (34.2%) of people diagnosed aged 75-99 (2013-2017).
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma survival has tripled in the last 50 years in the UK.
  • In the 1970s, more than a fifth (22.1%) of people diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer survived their disease beyond ten years, by the 2010s it was almost two-thirds (63.2%).
  • Around 7 in 10 (69.1%) people in England diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the least deprived group survive their disease for five years or more, compared with around 6 in 10 (59.2%) people in the most deprived group (2016-2020).
  • Five-year relative survival for non-Hodgkin lymphoma is generally similar to the European average in Scotland and Northern Ireland but generally below the European average in England and Wales. Further details on cancer survival in Europe can be found on the EUROCARE website.
  • For Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 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 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.
Find further information on our NHL cancer survival trends page

  • 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).
  • 1 in 71 UK females and 1 in 52 UK males will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in their lifetime (born in 1961).
  • 3% of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases in the UK are preventable.

See more in-depth NHL risk statistics

See the interactive cancer treatment online tool produced by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS) in partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK). This presents, for the first time, population-based statistics on chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgical tumour resections in England, by demographic factors and geography.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the many organisations across the UK which collect, analyse, and share the data which we use, and to the patients and public who consent for their data to be used. Find out more about the sources which are essential for our statistics.