How Many People Die From Melanoma Skin Cancer Every Year?
Melanoma kills about 58,700 people a year and all skin cancers about 128,000. Global, UK, US and Australian figures, survival, sunbeds and warning signs.
Picture a man in his fifties getting changed after a swim. His partner glances at his back and says, almost in passing, that the mole near his shoulder blade looks bigger than it used to. Darker, too, and a bit uneven at the edge. He cannot see it himself, it does not hurt, and he forgets about it by dinner.
That is how a lot of melanomas are found: by someone else, on a part of the body the owner never looks at. Whether that comment is acted on in weeks or in years can be the difference between a ten-minute procedure and a fight for life. Melanoma is one of the few cancers you can actually see, and one of the most preventable. Here is what the numbers say.
The headline number
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer's GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates, melanoma of the skin caused 58,667 deaths worldwide in a single year, from 331,722 new cases. That is around 161 deaths every day, or roughly one person every nine minutes.
Our live death counter shows the full global toll of around 170,000 deaths a day from all causes. Melanoma is a small share of that, but it is a share that is unusually concentrated in wealthy, fair-skinned and sun-loving populations.
| Time period | Melanoma deaths worldwide (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Per year | 58,700 |
| Per month | 4,890 |
| Per week | 1,130 |
| Per day | 161 |
| Per hour | 6.7 |
| Per minute | 0.1 |
Deaths are only around 18% of new cases in the same year. That low ratio is good news: most melanomas are found early enough to be cured. The trouble is that the minority found late can be very aggressive.
Melanoma versus other skin cancers
"Skin cancer" covers several diseases. Melanoma starts in the pigment cells of the skin and is the most likely to spread. The far more common non-melanoma skin cancers, mainly basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, are usually slower and more easily treated, but they are so common that they still kill a large number of people, mostly older adults.
| Skin cancer type (worldwide, GLOBOCAN 2022) | New cases per year | Deaths per year | Deaths per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melanoma | 331,700 | 58,700 | 161 |
| Non-melanoma skin cancer (excluding basal cell) | 1,234,500 | 69,400 | 190 |
| All skin cancers (approx.) | over 1.5 million | about 128,000 | about 350 |
GLOBOCAN does not count basal cell carcinoma, the most common cancer of all, because it is so rarely recorded properly and so rarely fatal. If it were included, skin cancer would comfortably be the most diagnosed cancer on Earth. Deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer are mostly squamous cell carcinomas that were left untreated or that developed in people with weakened immune systems.
Against all cancers, which kill close to 10 million people a year (see how many people die from cancer every day and our cancer cause page), skin cancers are a small part of the death toll but a huge part of the caseload.
The countries with the most melanoma
Melanoma is a disease of geography and genetics. Fair skin plus strong sunshine is the riskiest combination on the planet, which is why the world's highest rates are found in Australia and New Zealand, where mostly European-descended populations live under intense ultraviolet light.
| Country or region | Melanoma picture |
|---|---|
| Australia | Highest rates in the world, about 18,000 to 19,000 invasive melanomas a year and around 1,300 deaths |
| New Zealand | Second highest rates in the world, with one of the highest death rates |
| United States | About 112,000 invasive melanomas and 8,510 deaths expected in 2026 |
| United Kingdom | Around 17,500 to 20,000 cases a year and about 2,300 deaths |
| Northern and Western Europe | High and rising rates, driven by package holidays and sunbeds |
| Africa and Asia | Low rates, and melanomas are more often on the palms, soles and under nails |
The Oceania region and parts of Europe carry a share of the world's melanoma that is far bigger than their share of the world's population. In darker-skinned populations melanoma is rarer, but when it appears it is often on areas not exposed to the sun and is more likely to be diagnosed late.
Melanoma in the US and UK
In the United States, the American Cancer Society expects about 112,000 new invasive melanomas in 2026, up from about 105,000 projected the year before, plus another 122,680 melanomas caught at the very earliest "in situ" stage. It expects around 8,510 deaths: about 5,500 men and 3,010 women.
In the United Kingdom, melanoma is the fifth most common cancer. Cancer Research UK projected a record of around 20,800 cases a year in 2024, and the disease kills about 2,300 people a year.
| Country | New invasive cases per year (approx.) | Deaths per year (approx.) | Deaths per day (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 112,000 | 8,510 | 23 |
| United Kingdom | 17,500 to 20,800 | 2,300 | 6 |
| Australia | 18,000 to 19,000 | 1,300 | 3.6 |
Two trends run side by side. Diagnoses keep climbing, especially among people over 50 who grew up before sun safety campaigns and in the era of cheap foreign holidays. Deaths, by contrast, have fallen sharply in the United States since around 2013, because of a revolution in treatment.
Men die more often
Across almost every country, men are more likely to die of melanoma than women, even though women are diagnosed at similar or higher rates at younger ages. The US figures show it clearly: men account for nearly two in three melanoma deaths.
| Factor | Why men fare worse |
|---|---|
| Location | Men's melanomas are more often on the back, where they are hard to spot |
| Checking | Men are less likely to check their skin or see a doctor about a mole |
| Thickness | Men's melanomas tend to be thicker when found |
| Sun habits | Men are less likely to use sunscreen or cover up outdoors |
It is one small piece of the broader pattern we explore in why men die younger than women.
Survival depends on catching it early
Melanoma survival is all about thickness and spread. A thin melanoma caught on the surface of the skin can usually be cut out completely. Once it has spread to distant organs, it becomes one of the most dangerous cancers there is, although that is changing.
| Stage at diagnosis | Approx. 5-year relative survival (US, SEER) |
|---|---|
| Localised (only in the skin) | over 99% |
| Regional (spread to nearby lymph nodes) | about 75% |
| Distant (spread to other organs) | about 35% |
| All stages combined | about 94% |
The distant figure is the one that has moved most. Before 2011, a person with melanoma that had spread to their organs typically lived well under a year. Then came immunotherapy drugs, which take the brakes off the immune system so it can attack the cancer. In one landmark trial, around half of people with advanced melanoma given a combination of two of these drugs were still alive ten years later. That is why US melanoma death rates dropped rapidly from 2013 onwards even as diagnoses kept rising.
What causes melanoma
Ultraviolet radiation, from the sun and from sunbeds, causes the large majority of melanomas. Cancer Research UK estimates that around 86% of melanomas in the UK could be prevented.
| Risk factor | Notes |
|---|---|
| Sunburn, especially in childhood | Blistering burns are strongly linked to later melanoma |
| Sunbeds | Classed by IARC as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same category as tobacco |
| Fair skin, freckles, red or fair hair | Less natural protection from UV |
| Lots of moles (over 50) or unusual moles | A higher number means higher risk |
| Family history | Having a close relative with melanoma raises risk |
| Weakened immune system | For example after an organ transplant |
| Older age | Risk rises steadily with age |
Sunbeds deserve their own line. Using them, especially before the age of 35, clearly raises the risk of melanoma. The UK banned under-18s from using them in 2010, and Australia went further, banning commercial sunbeds in most states from 2015. Sun exposure also connects to other heat-related harms we cover in how many people die in heatwaves.
The ABCDE warning signs
Doctors use a simple checklist to judge whether a mole needs a closer look. You do not need all five signs; one is enough to see a doctor.
| Letter | What to look for |
|---|---|
| A: Asymmetry | The two halves of the mole do not match |
| B: Border | Ragged, notched or blurred edges |
| C: Colour | Several shades, such as brown, black, red, white or blue |
| D: Diameter | Wider than about 6 mm, though melanomas can be smaller |
| E: Evolving | Any change in size, shape, colour or height, or new itching or bleeding |
Two extra tips from dermatologists are worth knowing. The "ugly duckling" sign means any mole that looks different from your other moles deserves attention. And a once-a-month check, using a mirror or a partner for your back, scalp and the backs of your legs, is how many early melanomas are caught. In women, the legs are the most common site; in men, it is the back.
Prevention is simple, and it works
Australia shows what a long-term campaign can do. Its "Slip, Slop, Slap" message has run since 1981 (slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat), later expanded with "Seek" shade and "Slide" on sunglasses. Melanoma rates among younger Australians have now started to fall, a sign that a generation raised on sun safety is benefiting.
The practical advice is the same everywhere: avoid burning, take extra care with children's skin, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher and reapply it, cover up and seek shade when the sun is strongest, and skip sunbeds entirely. If you want to look at your overall risks of dying from different causes, try our risk calculator.
For a very different cancer where early diagnosis also matters, read how many people die from leukaemia every year. World Cancer Day each February is a good moment to book a skin check for anyone who has been putting it off.
While you were reading
In the twelve minutes it took to read this article, about 1 or 2 people around the world died of melanoma, about 3 died of skin cancers of any kind, and around 1,400 people died from all causes. Most of those skin cancer deaths started as a mark on the skin that could have been spotted and removed. You can watch the global count in real time or see today's running total.
Sources: International Agency for Research on Cancer, GLOBOCAN 2022; American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts and Figures 2026 and key statistics for melanoma skin cancer; US National Cancer Institute SEER programme; Cancer Research UK, melanoma skin cancer statistics; Cancer Australia and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; World Health Organization and IARC Monographs on sunbeds; Cancer Council Australia, SunSmart; British Association of Dermatologists. Figures are rounded and estimates vary between sources and years. This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. If you notice a new or changing mole, speak to your GP or doctor.
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