Bowel cancer mortality statistics

Deaths

Deaths from bowel cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Percentage of all deaths

Percentage bowel cancer contributes to total cancer deaths, 2017-2019, UK

Age

Peak mortality rate for bone sarcoma, 2017-2019, UK

 

Trend over time

Change in bowel cancer mortality rates since the early 1970s, UK

Bowel cancer is the 2nd most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 10% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).[1-4]

In females in the UK, bowel cancer is the 3rd most common cause of cancer death (10% of all female cancer deaths). In males in the UK, it is the 3rd most common cause of cancer death (10% of all male cancer deaths).

45% of bowel cancer deaths in the UK are in females, and 55% are in males (2017-2019).

Bowel cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) in the UK are significantly lower in females than in males (2017-2019).

Bowel cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) for persons are significantly higher than the UK average in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and significantly lower than the UK average in England.

For bowel cancer, mortality differences between countries largely reflect differences in incidence.

Bowel Cancer (C18-C20), Annual Average Number of Deaths, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 2017-2019

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Female Deaths 6,183 807 414 210 7,614
Crude Rate 21.8 28.9 26.0 22.0 22.6
AS Rate 20.8 27.0 22.6 23.2 21.5
AS Rate - 95% LCL 20.5 26.0 21.3 21.4 21.2
AS Rate - 95% UCL 21.1 28.1 23.9 25.0 21.8
Male Deaths 7,502 917 517 258 9,193
Crude Rate 27.1 34.6 33.4 27.9 28.0
AS Rate 32.2 40.6 35.4 37.5 33.2
AS Rate - 95% LCL 31.8 39.1 33.7 34.8 32.8
AS Rate - 95% UCL 32.6 42.1 37.2 40.1 33.6
Persons Deaths 13,684 1,724 931 468 16,808
Crude Rate 24.5 31.7 29.7 24.9 25.3
AS Rate 25.9 32.8 28.3 29.3 26.7
AS Rate - 95% LCL 25.6 31.9 27.3 27.8 26.4
AS Rate - 95% UCL 26.1 33.7 29.4 30.9 26.9

95% LCL and 95% UCL are the 95% lower and upper confidence limits around the AS Rate Open a glossary item

See also

Bladder cancer incidence statistics by sex and UK region

Bowel cancer survival statistics

Cancer mortality statistics for common cancers in the UK

References

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, C18-C20.

Last reviewed:

Bowel cancer mortality is strongly related to age, with the highest mortality rates being in older people. In the UK in 2017-2019, on average each year almost 6 in 10 deaths (58%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] This largely reflects higher incidence and lower survival for bowel cancer in older people.

Age-specific mortality rates rise steadily from around age 40-44 and more steeply from around age 70-74. The highest rates are in the 90+ age group for both females and males. Mortality rates are significantly lower in females than males in a number of (mainly older) age groups. The gap is widest at age 60 to 64, when the age-specific mortality rate is 1.8 times lower in females than males.

Bowel Cancer (C18-C20), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 2017-2019

See also

Bowel cancer incidence statistics by age

Bowel cancer survival statistics by age

Cancer mortality statistics by age for all cancers

References

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, ICD-10 C18-C20.

Last reviewed:

Bowel cancer European age-standardised age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates for females and males combined decreased by 45% in the UK between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The decrease was larger in females than in males.

For females, bowel cancer AS mortality rates in the UK decreased by 50% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019. For males, bowel cancer AS mortality rates in the UK decreased by 41% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), bowel cancer AS mortality rates for females and males combined decreased by 11%. In females AS mortality rates decreased by 9%, and in males rates decreased by 13%.

Bowel Cancer (C18-C20), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 1971-2019

For most cancer types, mortality trends largely reflect incidence and survival trends. For example, rising mortality may reflect rising incidence and stable survival, while falling mortality may reflect rising incidence and rising survival.

Bowel cancer mortality rates have decreased overall in most broad age groups in females and males combined in the UK since the early 1970s, but have remained stable in some.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have decreased by 43%, in 50-59s have decreased by 53%, in 60-74s have decreased by 53%, in 75-79s have decreased by 49% and in 80+s have decreased by 32%.

Bowel Cancer (C18-C20), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, By Age, UK, 1971-2019

See also

Bowel cancer incidence trends over time

Bowel cancer survival trends over time

Bowel cancer risk factors

Bowel cancer screening uptake trends over time

References

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1971-2019, C18-C20.

Cancers in children and young people (aged 0-24) are best classified using a different system to cancers in adults, so the figures presented here may not correspond with those elsewhere.

Last reviewed:

It is projected that the average number of deaths from bowel cancer in the UK every year will rise from around 16,700 deaths in 2023-2025 to around 19,100 deaths in 2038-2040.[1]

Bowel cancer mortality rates are projected to fall by 10% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 22 deaths per 100,000 people on average each year by 2038-2040.[1] This includes a similar decrease for males and females.

For females, bowel cancer European age standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates in the UK are projected to fall by 8% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 18 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to fall by 11% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 26 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Bowel cancer (C18-C20), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Mortality Rates, by Sex, UK, 1975-2040

Download the data (xlsx)

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Mortality trends over time for bowel cancer

Projections of mortality for all cancers combined

Download the projections data table

References

Calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK, February 2023. Age-period-cohort modelling approach described here, using 2020-based population projections (Office for National Statistics) and observed cancer mortality data (1975-2018).

About this data

Projections are based on mortality data from 1975-2018 (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland); the above figure presents all UK data from 1975-2018 (observed) and 2019-2040 (projected). Number of deaths and age-standardised rates are presented as annual averages for each 3-year rolling period. ICD-10 codes C18-C20.

Projections are based on observed mortality rates and therefore implicitly include changes in cancer risk factors, diagnosis and treatment. Confidence intervals are not calculated for the projected figures. Projections are by their nature uncertain because unexpected events in future could change the trend. It is not sensible to calculate a boundary of uncertainty around these already uncertain point estimates. Changes are described as 'increase' or 'decrease' if there is any difference between the point estimates.

More on projections methodology

Last reviewed:

There is evidence for an association between bowel cancer mortality and deprivation for males and females in England (although the association is small for females).[1] England-wide data for 2007-2011 show European age-standardised Open a glossary item mortality rates are 30% higher for males living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, and 15% higher for females.[1]

Bowel Cancer (C18-C20), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient in bowel cancer mortality for males and females living in the most and least deprived areas in England has not changed in the period 2002-2011. It has been estimated that there would have been around 860 fewer bowel cancer deaths each year in England during 2007-2011 if all people experienced the same mortality rates as the least deprived.[1]

See also

Deprivation gradient for cancer mortality

Deprivation gradient in bowel cancer incidence

Bowel cancer survival statistics by socio-economic variation

Socio-economic variation in cancer mortality for Scotland

Socio-economic variation in cancer mortality for Wales

Socio-economic variation in cancer mortality for Northern Ireland

References

  1. Cancer Research UK and National Cancer Intelligence Network. Cancer by deprivation  in England: Incidence, 1996-2010, Mortality, 1997-2011. London: NCIN; 2014.

About this data

Data is for: UK, 2007-2011, ICD-10 C18-C20

Deprivation gradient statistics were calculated using mortality data for 2007-2011. The deprivation quintiles were calculated using the Income domain scores from the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) from the following years: 2004, 2007 and 2010. Full details on the data and methodology can be found in the Cancer by Deprivation in England NCIN report.

Last reviewed:

Cancer stats explained

See information and explanations on terminology used for statistics and reporting of cancer, and the methods used to calculate some of our statistics.

Cancer stats explained

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