Cancer web tool
This web tool provides data on cancer registrations, diagnoses and deaths in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Pātiki and Waharua Kōpito patterns
On this page
Pātiki and Waharua Kōpito patterns
Link to the Cancer web tool
This web tool presents data on national cancer registrations and cancer deaths from 2012 to 2021. It also includes a summary of the most common cancer registrations and deaths, as well as historical cancer datasets from 1948 to 2021.
About the Cancer web tool
This web tool presents data about primary cancer diagnoses and deaths registered where cancer was recorded as the underlying cause of death. The web tool allows you to examine summarised data through interactive visualisations and understand cancer registration and deaths in relation to demographics in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The web tool will be updated annually.
Key findings
Cancer registrations, 2021
In 2021, there were 27,869 new cancer registrations in Aotearoa New Zealand, with an overall age standardised rate of 341.2 registrations per 100,000 population.
The total number of registrations has been steadily increasing over the last 10 years, while the rate has stayed roughly the same.
Key findings among Māori and non-Māori
Māori tend to have higher cancer registration rates than non-Māori. In 2021, the rate of Māori cancer registrations was 1.3 times that of non-Māori.
New cancer registrations counts for Māori and non-Māori, 2021
| Ethnicity | All sex | Female | Male |
| Māori | 3,435 | 1,899 | 1,536 |
| Non-Māori | 24,434 | 11,046 | 13,388 |
| All ethnic roups | 27,869 | 12,945 | 14,924 |
New cancer registrations rates for Māori and non-Māori, 2021
| Ethnicity | All sex | Female | Male |
| Māori | 430.6 | 450.5 | 410.6 |
| Non-Māori | 329.7 | 300.2 | 364.1 |
| All ethnic groups | 341.2 | 317.4 | 369.5 |
Cancer deaths, 2021
Mortality data for 2021 is preliminary, therefore these key findings are subject to change with future releases of this publication as updated mortality data becomes available.
In 2021, there were 10,488 cancer deaths in Aotearoa New Zealand, with an overall age standardised death rate of 110.8 deaths per 100,000 population.
The rate of cancer deaths has been slowly declining over the last 10 years.
Key findings among Māori and non-Māori
Māori tend to have higher cancer death rates than non-Māori. In 2021, the rate of Māori cancer deaths was 1.6 times that of non-Māori.
Cancer death counts for Māori and non-Māori, 2021
| Ethnicity | All sex | Female | Male |
| Māori | 1,274 | 669 | 605 |
| Non-Māori | 9,214 | 4,253 | 4,961 |
| All ethnic groups | 10,488 | 4,922 | 5,566 |
Cancer death rates for Māori and non-Māori, 2021
| Ethnicity | All sex | Female | Male |
| Māori | 166.3 | 163.4 | 171.8 |
| Non-Māori | 104 | 92.2 | 119 |
| All ethnic groups | 110.8 | 99.7 | 125 |
Disclaimer
This web tool presents data to the latest year for which data is available for publication.
We have quality checked the collection, extraction, and reporting of the data presented here. However, errors can occur.
Contact us through the Data Services team at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora if you have any concerns regarding any of the data or analyses presented here.
We make no warranty, expressed or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, correctness or use of the information or data in this tool.