Thyroid cancer statistics

Cases

New cases of thyroid cancer, 2017-2019, UK

Deaths

Deaths from thyroid cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Survival

Survive thyroid cancer for 10 or more years, 2013-2017, England

 

Preventable cases

Thyroid cancer cases are preventable, UK, 2015

 

  • There are around 4,000 new thyroid cancer cases in the UK every year, that's 11 every day (2017-2019).
  • Thyroid cancer is the 20th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 1% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, thyroid cancer is the 15th most common cancer, with around 2,900 new cases every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, thyroid cancer is the 20th most common cancer, with around 1,100 new cases every year (2017-2019).
  • Incidence rates for thyroid cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 70 to 74 (2017-2019).
  • Each year around a tenth (11%) of all new thyroid cancer cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1990s, thyroid cancer incidence rates have almost tripled (186%) in the UK. Rates in females have almost tripled (194%), and rates in males have almost tripled (183%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, thyroid cancer incidence rates have increased by more than three-fifths (62%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by around three-fifths (61%), and rates in males have increased by almost two-thirds (64%) (2017-2019)
  • Incidence rates for thyroid cancer are projected to rise by 74% in the UK between 2014 and 2035, to 11 cases per 100,000 people by 2035.
  • See our new Early Diagnosis Data Hub for statistics on stage at diagnosis for thyroid cancer.
  • Thyroid cancer incidence rates in England in females are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).
  • Incidence rates for thyroid cancer are higher in the Asian and Black ethnic groups, but lower 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 22,900 people who had previously been diagnosed with thyroid cancer were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.

See more in-depth thyroid cancer incidence statistics

  • There are around 410 thyroid cancer deaths in the UK every year, that's around 1 every day (2017-2019).
  • Thyroid 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, thyroid cancer is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death, with around 230 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, thyroid cancer is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death, with around 170 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for thyroid cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 90+ (2017-2019).
  • Each year almost 6 in 10 of all thyroid cancer deaths (55%) in the UK are in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1970s, thyroid cancer mortality rates have decreased by almost half (48%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by almost three-fifths (55%), and rates in males have decreased by a fifth (20%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, thyroid cancer mortality rates have remained stable in the UK. Rates in females have remained stable, and rates in males have remained stable (2017-2019).
  • Thyroid cancer mortality rates are projected to rise by 6% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around around 640 deaths of thyroid cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Thyroid cancer in England is not associated with deprivation.

See more in-depth thyroid cancer mortality statistics

  • More than 8 in 10 (84.3%) people diagnosed with thyroid cancer in England survive their disease for ten years or more, it is predicted (2013-2017).
  • Thyroid cancer ten-year survival in England is higher in females than males (2013-2017).
  • Almost all (99.2%) people in England diagnosed with thyroid cancer aged 15-44 survive their disease for ten years or more, compared with almost 6 in 10 (57.7%) people diagnosed aged 75-99 (2013-2017).
  • 9 in 10 (90.2%) people in England diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the least deprived group survive their disease for five years or more, compared with more than 9 in 10 (91.9%) people in the most deprived group (2015-2019).
  • Five-year relative survival for thyroid cancer 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 thyroid 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).
  • 1 in 200 UK females and 1 in 340 UK males will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in their lifetime (born in 1961).
  • 9% of thyroid cancer cases in the UK are preventable.

See more in-depth thyroid cancer risk statistics

See our new Early Diagnosis Data Hub for statistics on routes to diagnosis and screening uptake/coverage (for relevant cancer types) 
 
See our COVID and cancer key stats for the most up-to-date statistics on early diagnosis and other metrics.
 

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.