Cancer death rates hit historic new low across the UK, study shows

Cancer death rates in the UK have hit a historic new low, according to data.

The charity Cancer Research UK, which analysed the figures and shared them with the Press Association, said death rates have fallen by 11% in the last decade.

Around 247 in every 100,000 people in the UK are thought to die from cancer in any given year, which is a 29 per cent drop on the peak in 1989 (around 355 per 100,000).

The data shows that ovarian cancer death rates have fallen by 19% in the last decade (2012-2014 to 2022-2024), while stomach cancer has dropped by 34% and lung cancer by 22%.

Bowel cancer is down 6%, breast cancer by 14%, cervical cancer by 11% and leukaemia by 9%. Oesophageal cancer is also down 12%.

When it comes to cervical cancer, there has been a 75% drop in death rates since the 1970s, with the NHS cervical screening programme having a huge impact.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which is given to schoolchildren, is also driving down cervical cancers.

At least 6.5 million people have received the vaccine in the UK since it was introduced in 2008.

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Source: The Independent, 9 March 2026