Who dies of kidney cancer?
In the median of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age, 0.64% of men and 0.35% of women eventually die of kidney cancer. It is never the most likely cause of death for any one country, sex and age group — but it adds up over a lifetime.
The risk by age
Chance of dying of kidney cancer within 10 years, and its share of all the risk at that age — the median of 36 countries. Your own country's numbers are one click away on its page.
| Age | men | women |
|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | 0% (0% of the risk) | 0% (0% of the risk) |
| 20–24 | <0.01% (0.01% of the risk) | 0% (0% of the risk) |
| 25–29 | <0.01% (0.15% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.13% of the risk) |
| 30–34 | <0.01% (0.23% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.20% of the risk) |
| 35–39 | <0.01% (0.43% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.31% of the risk) |
| 40–44 | 0.02% (0.71% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.45% of the risk) |
| 45–49 | 0.04% (0.89% of the risk) | 0.01% (0.59% of the risk) |
| 50–54 | 0.07% (0.94% of the risk) | 0.02% (0.66% of the risk) |
| 55–59 | 0.10% (0.96% of the risk) | 0.04% (0.69% of the risk) |
| 60–64 | 0.15% (1.0% of the risk) | 0.06% (0.65% of the risk) |
| 65–69 | 0.20% (0.92% of the risk) | 0.08% (0.60% of the risk) |
| 70–74 | 0.25% (0.80% of the risk) | 0.12% (0.52% of the risk) |
| 75–79 | 0.32% (0.62% of the risk) | 0.17% (0.43% of the risk) |
| 80–84 | 0.34% (0.48% of the risk) | 0.20% (0.32% of the risk) |
| 85–89 | 0.32% (0.37% of the risk) | 0.19% (0.22% of the risk) |
| 90–94 | 0.26% (0.27% of the risk) | 0.14% (0.15% of the risk) |
Lifetime chance, men: highest and lowest countries
Lifetime chance, women: highest and lowest countries
What changes the odds
- In large cohort studies, people who smoke died of it about 1.8 times as often as people who never smoked (Carter 2015).
- People with obesity (a BMI of 30 or more): about 1.6 times as often as people of healthy weight.
Weight, exercise, alcohol and diet at age 55, from the published studies behind Odainn's personal numbers — methodology.
Not smoking, a healthy weight and keeping blood pressure under control lower the risk. Blood in your pee, or pain between your ribs and waist that doesn't go away, are reasons to see a doctor.
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Related: Lung cancer · Colorectal cancer · Breast cancer · Prostate cancer · Pancreatic cancer · Oesophageal cancer · Stomach cancer · Liver cancer · Cervical cancer · Uterine & ovarian cancer · Leukaemia & lymphoma · Brain cancer · Melanoma (skin cancer) · Bladder cancer · Mouth, throat & larynx cancer · Other cancers
Questions
- At what age is kidney cancer most likely to be the cause of death?
- For men, kidney cancer takes its largest share of deaths at 60–64: 1.0% of the risk of dying in the next 10 years, in the median of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age.
- Which country has the highest risk of dying of kidney cancer?
- Of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age, Estonia has the highest lifetime chance of dying of kidney cancer for men (0.96%), and Türkiye the lowest (0.21%).
- What raises the risk of dying of kidney cancer?
- In large cohort studies, people who smoke died of it about 1.8 times as often as people who never smoked (Carter 2015). People with obesity (a BMI of 30 or more): about 1.6 times as often as people of healthy weight.
Computed by Odainn from official mortality statistics (Eurostat; ONS, NRS and NISRA; CDC; Statistics Canada) for 36 countries, latest years — how we calculate. Belarus is left out: deaths by cause and age aren't published together there, so the split by cause is our estimate. Population statistics, not a prediction for any individual. Educational, not medical advice.