Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) statistics

Cases

New cases of acute myeloid leukaemia each year, 2017-2019 average, UK.

Deaths

Deaths from acute myeloid leukaemia, 2017-2019, UK.

  • There are around 2,900 new acute myeloid leukaemia cases in the UK every year, that's around 8 every day (2017-2019).
  • Acute myeloid leukaemia accounted for less than 1% of all new cancer cases in the UK in 2017-2019.
  • In females in the UK, acute myeloid leukaemia accounted for around 1,300 new cancer cases every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, acute myeloid leukaemia accounted for around 1,600 new cancer cases every year (2017-2019).
  • Incidence rates for acute myeloid leukaemia in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89 (2017-2019).
  • Each year around 4 in 10 (41%) of all new acute myeloid leukaemia cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1990s, acute myeloid leukaemia incidence rates have increased by more than a tenth (12%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by a tenth (10%), and rates in males have increased by a tenth (10%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, acute myeloid leukaemia incidence rates have decreased by almost a tenth (8%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by almost a tenth (8%), and rates in males have decreased by a tenth (10%) (2017-2019).
  • Acute myeloid leukaemia incidence rates in England in females are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are 11% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).
  • Around 70 cases of acute myeloid leukaemia each year in males in England are linked with deprivation.
  • Incidence rates for acute myeloid leukaemia are lower in the Asian ethnic group, and similar in the Black ethnic group, compared with the White ethnic group, in England (2013-2017). See our publication Cancer Incidence by Broad Ethnic Group for more details.
  • An estimated 6,100 people who had previously been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.

See more in-depth AML incidence statistics

  • There are around 2,700 acute myeloid leukaemia deaths in the UK every year, that's more than 7 every day (2017-2019).
  • Acute myeloid leukaemia accounts for 2% of all cancer deaths in the UK (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, acute myeloid leukaemia accounts for around 1,100 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, acute myeloid leukaemia accounts for around 1,600 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for acute myeloid leukaemia in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89 (2017-2019).
  • Each year more than half of all acute myeloid leukaemia deaths (53%) in the UK are in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1970s, acute myeloid leukaemia mortality rates have increased by almost three-fifths (55%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by more than a third (36%), and rates in males have increased by almost two-thirds (64%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, acute myeloid leukaemia mortality rates have remained stable in the UK. Rates in females have remained stable, and rates in males have remained stable (2017-2019).
  • Leukaemia (AML) deaths in England are not associated with deprivation.

See more in-depth AML mortality statistics

  • Acute myeloid leukaemia survival data are available on the HMRN website.
  • Five-year relative survival for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is generally similar to the European average in the UK. Further details on cancer survival in Europe can be found on the EUROCARE website.
  • Further one-, five- and ten-year survival statistics can be found on the Cancer Statistics Dashboard.

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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.