The following material has been sourced from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Oesophageal cancer incorporates ICD-10 cancer code C15.
New cases
In 2021, there were 1,605 new cases of oesophageal cancer diagnosed in Australia (1,131 males and 473 females). In 2025, it is estimated that 1,781 new cases of oesophageal cancer will be diagnosed in Australia (1,306 males and 475 females). In 2025, it is estimated that a person has a 1 in 179 (or 0.56%) risk of being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer by the age of 85 (1 in 120 or 0.84% for males and 1 in 357 or 0.28% for females).
Graph: statistics-oesophageal-cancer-figure-1-estimated-cancer-incidence-persons-2025
In 2021, the age-standardised incidence rate was 6.4 cases per 100,000 persons (9.6 for males and 3.5 for females). In 2025, it is estimated that the age-standardised incidence rate will be 6.4 cases per 100,000 persons (10 for males and 3.2 for females). The incidence rate for oesophageal cancer is expected to increase with age, up to 85−89 years.
Graph: statistics-oesophageal-cancer-figure-2-age-standardised-incidence-rates
The number of new cases of oesophageal cancer diagnosed increased from 537 (317 males and 220 females) in 1982 to 1,605 in 2021. Over the same period, the age-standardised incidence rate remained similar at 5.7 cases per 100,000 persons (7.4 for males and 4.3 for females) in 1982 and 6.4 cases per 100,000 persons in 2021.
Deaths
In 2023, there were 1,393 deaths from oesophageal cancer in Australia (1,021 males and 372 females). In 2025, it is estimated that there will be 1,439 deaths (1,069 males and 370 females). In 2025, it is estimated that a person has a 1 in 229 (or 0.44%) risk of dying from oesophageal cancer by the age of 85 (1 in 152 or 0.66% for males and 1 in 475 or 0.21% for females).
Graph: statistics-oesophageal-cancer-figure-3-estimated-cancer-mortality-persons-2025
In 2023, the age-standardised mortality rate was 5.3 deaths per 100,000 persons (8.4 for males and 2.6 for females). In 2025, it is estimated that the age-standardised mortality rate will be 5.2 deaths per 100,000 persons (8.3 for males and 2.5 for females). The mortality rate for oesophageal cancer is expected to increase with age.
Graph: statistics-oesophageal-cancer-figure-4-age-standardised-mortality-rates
The number of deaths from oesophageal cancer increased from 527 (338 males and 189 females) in 1982 to 1,393 in 2023. Over the same period, the age-standardised mortality rate decreased from 5.8 deaths per 100,000 persons (8.3 for males and 3.8 for females) in 1982 to 5.3 deaths per 100,000 persons in 2023.
Survival
In 2017–2021, individuals diagnosed with oesophageal cancer had a 26% chance (25% for males and 27% for females) of surviving for five years compared to their counterparts in the general Australian population. Between 1987–1991 and 2017–2021, five-year relative survival for oesophageal cancer increased from 11% to 26%.
Graph: statistics-oesophageal-cancer-figure-5-5-year-relative-survival
Prevalence
At the end of 2021, there were 1,121 people living who had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer that year, 3,124 people living who had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the previous 5 years (from 2017 to 2021) and 5,817 people living who had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the previous 40 years (from 1982 to 2021).
For more information, see Oesophageal cancer on the NCCI website
The National Cancer Control Indicators (NCCI) are a set of indicators across the continuum of cancer care, from Prevention and Screening through to Diagnosis, Treatment, Psychosocial care, Research and Outcomes. The NCCI website allows users to see visual representations of data on each indicator through interactive charts.
