Cancer mortality
Annual update to 2024

About this release

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) provides information on deaths from cancer in Scotland, including registrations up to the 31 December 2024. Within this publication, data is provided on both the number of deaths caused by cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) and the overall risk of dying from the disease within a population.

Main points

• In 2024 the European Age Standardised Rate (EASR), or risk of dying from cancer in Scotland, decreased by 12.1% compared to 2015 (from 328.5 to 288.9 per 100,000 population respectively).
• However, despite this reduction, the number of deaths due to cancer has increased by 2.1% (to 16,352 from 16,011 in 2015). This largely reflects an increase in the proportion of older age groups within the population, and the fact that cancer is more common among older people.
• In 2024, two-thirds (70%) of all cancer deaths occurred in people aged seventy and over, an increase from 66% in 2015.
• The average age at death increased between 2000 and 2024, rising from 70.9 to 74.4 years for males, and from 72.4 to 74.2 for females. This shift reflects changes towards types of cancers that are diagnosed at older ages, and better survival as a result of earlier cancer detection, more effective treatment and improvements in overall life expectancy.

Line chart shows mean age (in years) at cancer death between 2000 and 2024; separate trend lines for males and for females. The mean age for females increased in that period: from 72.4 in 2000; reached 73.1 in 2008 and stayed between 72.8 and 73.1 until 2011. Continued to steadily increase afterwards, to 73.9 in 2019 and 74.5 in 2023. In 2024 was 74.2. The mean age for men increased in that period: from 70.9 in 2000; 71.3 in 2023, 72 in 2009, 73 in 2016; and 74.1 in 2021 and 2022. It was 74.4 in 2023 and 2024.

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Average age at cancer death in Scotland by sex, 2000-2024

• Lung, colorectal (bowel), prostate and breast cancers together account for 46% of all cancer deaths in Scotland.
• Lung cancer remained the most common cause of cancer death overall; 3,651 in 2024 (EASR of 62.8 per 100,000 population, accounting for a fifth (22.3%) of all cancer deaths in Scotland. Most of these could be avoided by eliminating smoking.

Background

This publication uses death registration data supplied by National Records of Scotland (NRS). This release includes summary tables presenting information by cancer type, age group, sex, Regional Cancer Network, NHS Board, and local authority. When using this publication, it is more informative to examine trends in mortality over a number of years, rather than focussing on a single year of mortality. In the case of rare cancers, striking changes from one year to the next are likely to reflect random fluctuation caused by small numbers of deaths and may be misleading.

Further information

The next release of this publication will be Winter 2026.