Gallbladder cancer statistics

Cases

New cases of gallbladder cancer each year, 2017-2019 average, UK.

Deaths

Deaths from gallbladder cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Survival

Survive gallbladder cancer for 10 or more years, 2009-2013, England

 

Preventable cases

Preventable cases of gallbladder cancer, UK

  • There are around 1,100 new gallbladder cancer cases in the UK every year, that's around 3 every day (2017-2019).
  • Gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common cancers in the UK, accounting for less than 1% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common cancers, with around 810 new cases every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common cancers, with around 340 new cases every year (2017-2019).
  • Incidence rates for gallbladder cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 90+ (2017-2019).
  • Each year more than half (54%) of all new gallbladder cancer cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Gallbladder cancer incidence rates are projected to rise by 47% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around 3,100 new cases of gallbladder cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Since the early 1990s, gallbladder cancer incidence rates have increased by two-thirds (66%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by around three-quarters (74%), and rates in males have increased by almost three-fifths (57%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, gallbladder cancer incidence rates have increased by two-fifths (40%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by more than two-fifths (44%), and rates in males have increased by around a third (34%) (2017-2019).
  • Gallbladder cancer incidence rates in England in females are 90% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are 38% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).
  • Around 180 cases of gallbladder cancer each year in England are linked with deprivation (around 130 in females and around 45 in males).
  • Incidence rates for gallbladder cancer are higher in the Asian and Black ethnic groups, compared with the White ethnic group, in England (2013-2017). See our publication Cancer Incidence by Broad Ethnic Group for more details.
  • An estimated 3,600 people who had previously been diagnosed with gallbladder cancer were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.

See more in-depth gallbladder cancer incidence statistics

  • There are around 650 gallbladder cancer deaths in the UK every year, that's nearly 2 every day (2017-2019).
  • Gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death in the UK, accounting for less than 1% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death, with around 460 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death, with around 190 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for gallbladder cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89 (2017-2019).
  • Each year around 6 in 10 of all gallbladder cancer deaths (59%) in the UK are in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1970s, gallbladder cancer mortality rates have decreased by almost two-fifths (38%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by a third (33%), and rates in males have decreased by almost two-fifths (39%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, gallbladder cancer mortality rates have increased by almost a sixth (16%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by around a fifth (19%), and rates in males have remained stable (2017-2019).
  • Gallbladder cancer mortality rates are projected to fall by 2% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around around 820 deaths of gallbladder cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Mortality rates for gallbladder and other biliary tract cancers are generally similar in people of non-White minority ethnicity, compared with the White ethnic group, where data is available, in England and Wales (2017-2019). See the publication Mortality from leading causes of death by ethnic group, England and Wales.

See more in-depth gallbladder cancer mortality statistics

  • 3 in 20 (15%) people diagnosed with gallbladder cancer in England survive their disease for ten years or more, it is predicted (2009-2013).
  • Gallbladder cancer ten-year survival in England is similar in females and males (2009-2013).
  • Almost a fifth (18.2%) of people in England diagnosed with gallbladder cancer aged 15-54 survive their disease for five years or more, compared with more than 5 in 100 (6.7%) people diagnosed aged 75-99 (2016-2020).
  • Five-year relative survival for gallbladder cancer is similar to the European average in the UK. Further details on cancer survival in Europe can be found on the EUROCARE website.
  • For gallbladder cancer, 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 survival statistics by stage can be found on the Early Diagnosis Data Hub and 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.

  • 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).
  • Nearly 1 in 210 UK females and 1 in 670 UK males will be diagnosed with gallbladder cancer in their lifetime (born in 1961).
  • 20% of gallbladder cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
See more in-depth gallbladder cancer risk statistics

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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.