Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) statistics - Key Facts

• There are many sub-types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but they can all be put into one of two broad categories: 

1. high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma, where the cancer develops quickly and aggressively
2.  low-grade or indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma, where the cancer develops slowly and there may be no symptoms for many years

section updated 22/02/12

• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the 5th most common cancer in the UK – it is the 5th most common cancer in males and the 7th in females.
• Around 11,860 people were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the UK in 2008, that is around 32 people every day.
• Around 7 in 10 of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases are diagnosed in people aged 60 and over.
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma incidence rates in Britain are now more than two and a half times higher than they were in the mid 1970s.
• In Britain incidence rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in people aged 75 and over have more than tripled since the mid-1970s.
• In the UK around 105 children under the age of 15 were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2008.
• It is estimated that in the European Union there were around 74,000 new cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2008.
• Worldwide, it is estimated that there were around 356,000 new cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2008.

Read more in depth non-Hodgkin lymphoma incidence statistics

section updated: 22/02/12

• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients are now twice as likely to survive their disease for at least 10 years as those diagnosed in the early 1970s.
• Half of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients will survive their disease for at least ten years.
• Survival rates for non-Hodgkin lymphoma are higher for younger patients. Two-thirds of patients aged under 45 will survive their disease for at least five years, compared with a third of patients aged 65-74.

Read more in depth non-Hodgkin lymphoma survival statistics

section updated: 22/02/12

• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the 10th most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
• Around 4,450 people died from non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2009 in the UK, that is around 12 every day.
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the 9th most common cause of cancer death in men in the UK with more than 2,400 deaths in 2009.
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the 7th most common cause of cancer death in women in the UK with more than 2,000 deaths in 2009.
• Three quarters of all deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma occur in people aged 65 and over.
• It is estimated that there were more than 31,000 deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Europe (EU-27) in 2008.
• Worldwide it is estimated that there were more than 191,000 deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2008

Read more in depth non-Hodgkin lymphoma mortality statistics

section updated 22/02/12

• Various infections increase the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with the highest risks linked to infection with HIV.
• Drugs given to suppress the immune system, for example following organ transplant, also increase the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
• A family history of non-Hodgkin lymphoma almost doubles risk.
• Occupational exposure to pesticides and benzene are linked to an increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Read more about the causes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

section updated: 31/12/09

*age-standardised to the European population

More detailed statistics on non-Hodgkin lymphoma can be found using these links: incidence, survival, mortality, risk factors and staging.