Bowel cancer statistics - Key Facts

• Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK.
• Just under 40,000 people were diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2008 in the UK, that’s around 110 people every day.
• Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in women after breast and lung cancer, with around 17,900 new cases diagnosed in 2008 in the UK.
• In 2008, around 22,100 men were diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK each year making it the third most common cancer in men after prostate and lung cancer.
• More than 8 in 10 bowel cancer cases occur in people aged 60 and over.
• Bowel cancer incidence rates have remained relatively stable for over a decade.
• In Europe (EU27) there were around 334,000 new cases of bowel cancer diagnosed in 2008.
• Worldwide 1.24 million new cases of bowel cancer were diagnosed in 2008.
• The lowest incidence rates of bowel cancer are seen in South Central Asia, and Middle African countries. The highest rates are in Europe, North America and Australasia.

Read more in-depth UK bowel cancer incidence statistics.

section updated 23/03/11 

• Five-year survival rates for bowel cancer have doubled over the last 40 years.
• Half of patients diagnosed with bowel cancer will survive their disease for at least ten years.
• People diagnosed with bowel cancer are now twice as likely to survive their disease for at least ten years than those diagnosed in the early 1970s.
• Research suggests over 90% of bowel cancer patients will survive the disease for more than five years if diagnosed at the earliest stage.
• Younger bowel cancer patients have a better prognosis than older patients.

Read more in-depth bowel cancer survival statistics.

section updated 12/07/10

• Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK after lung cancer.
• Around 15,900 people died of bowel cancer in 2009 in the UK.
• Bowel cancer death rates have been falling since the late 1970s. Over the last decade death rates have dropped by around 14%.
• In 2008 almost 149,000 people died from bowel cancer in Europe (EU-27).
• Worldwide bowel cancer killed more than 600,000 people in 2008, more than half of these deaths are in the more developed regions of the world.

Read more in-depth UK bowel cancer mortality statistics.

section updated 09/01/12

• High intake of red and processed meat will increase the chances of developing bowel cancer whereas a diet rich in fibre will reduce your risk.
• Around 13% of bowel cancers in the UK are linked to overweight or obesity.
• Being physically active reduces risk of colon cancer.
• Research has shown that drinking as little as 10g/day of alcohol (around 1 unit) can increase the risk of bowel cancer.
• Smoking increases the risk of bowel cancer.
• People with a first-degree relative with bowel cancer are at twice the average risk of developing it themselves.
• People with diabetes, ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease all have an increased risk of bowel cancer.

Read more in-depth bowel cancer risk factors.

section updated 09/01/12

• The NHS Bowel Screening Programme began in England in 2006, Scotland in 2007, Wales in 2008 and in Northern Ireland in 2010.
• There could be up to 20,000 fewer deaths from bowel cancer over the next 20 years if just 60% of those eligible took up the invitation for bowel screening.

Read more in-depth bowel cancer screening and prevention.

section updated 23/03/11

*age-standardised to the European population 

More in depth bowel cancer statistics can be found using these links: incidence, survival, mortality, risk factors, molecular biology and genetics, symptoms and treatment, and screening

section updated 09/01/12