‘WE NEED TO GRASP THE NETTLE’ SAYS CHARITY CHIEF
New figures published by Public Health Scotland reveal that after adjusting for age, people who live in the most deprived areas of Scotland are 22% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than people who live in the least deprived areas.
Full data here: https://publichealthscotland.
Peter Hastie, External Affairs Manager Scotland at Macmillan Cancer Support said: “It’s shameful that in 2026, we’re still seeing that people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than those living in the least deprived areas.
“Worse still, we know someone’s experience of cancer can be made much worse simply because of who they are or where they live.
“As we’ve seen with today’s data, we need to grasp the nettle by ensuring all routinely published cancer data includes a breakdown for deprivation as standard. It’s only by understanding where people are getting left behind that we can tackle this inequity once and for all.”
Key facts
- The latest official statistics for Scotland show that after adjusting for age, people who live in the most deprived areas of Scotland are 22% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than people who live in the least deprived areas[i]
- The deprivation gap remains even greater for certain types of cancer, with people who live in the most deprived areas of Scotland more than three times as likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer and around twice as likely to be diagnosed with head and neck cancer, compared to people in the least deprived areas[ii]
- Women and people assigned female at birth who live in the most deprived areas of Scotland are also 2.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer than those in the least deprived areas[iii]
- Macmillan’s analysis of other recent official data for 2024 shows people who live in the most deprived areas of Scotland have a 78% higher risk of dying of cancer than people who live in the least deprived areas[iv]
- There are around 3.5 million people living with cancer in the UK, the highest figure ever reported for the UK and including around 290,000 people in Scotland[v]
If you or someone you love is affected by cancer, we’re here, whatever you need to ask. Call Macmillan’s free support line on 0808 808 00 00, open every day 8am to 8pm or visit our website at www.macmillan.org.uk.
