The following material has been sourced from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Thyroid cancer incorporates ICD-10 cancer code C73 (Malignant neoplasm of thyroid gland).
New cases
In 2021, thyroid cancer was the ninth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia. It is estimated that it will remain the ninth most commonly diagnosed cancer in 2025.
In 2021, there were 3,790 new cases of thyroid cancer diagnosed in Australia (1116 males and 2,674 females). In 2025, it is estimated that 4,355 new cases of thyroid cancer will be diagnosed in Australia (1,340 males and 3,015 females). In 2025, it is estimated that a person has a 1 in 78 (or 1.3%) risk of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer by the age of 85 (1 in 123 or 0.82% for males and 1 in 57 or 1.8% for females).
Graph: statistics-thyroid-cancer-figure-1-estimated-cancer-mortality-persons-2025.csv
In 2021, the age-standardised incidence rate was 15 cases per 100,000 persons (9.0 for males and 20 for females). In 2025, it is estimated that the age-standardised incidence rate will be 16 cases per 100,000 persons (10 for males and 21 for females). The incidence rate for thyroid cancer is expected to increase with age up to 65–69 years, and then to decrease with age.
Graph: statistics-thyroid-cancer-figure-2-age-standardised-incidence-rates
The number of new cases of thyroid cancer diagnosed increased from 362 (104 males and 258 females) in 1982 to 3,790 in 2021. Over the same period, the age-standardised incidence rate increased from 3.0 cases per 100,000 persons (1.8 for males and 4.0 for females) in 1982 to 15 cases per 100,000 persons in 2021.
Deaths
In 2023, there were 191 deaths from thyroid cancer in Australia (90 males and 101 females). In 2025, it is estimated that there will be 179 deaths (90 males and 89 females). In 2025, it is estimated that a person has a 1 in 1,989 (or 0.05%) risk of dying from thyroid cancer by the age of 85 (1 in 2,021 or 0.05% for males and 1 in 1,952 or 0.05% for females).
Graph: statistics-thyroid-cancer-figure-3-estimated-cancer-mortality-persons-2025
In 2023, the age-standardised mortality rate was 0.7 deaths per 100,000 persons (0.7 for males and 0.7 for females). In 2025, it is estimated that the age-standardised mortality rate will be 0.6 deaths per 100,000 persons (0.7 for males and 0.6 for females). The mortality rate for thyroid cancer is expected to increase with age.
Graph: statistics-thyroid-cancer-figure-4-age-standardised-mortality-rates
The number of deaths from thyroid cancer increased from 73 (27 males and 46 females) in 1982 to 191 in 2023. Over the same period, the age-standardised mortality rate remained similar at 0.8 deaths per 100,000 persons (0.6 for males and 0.9 for females) in 1982 and 0.7 deaths per 100,000 persons in 2023.
Survival
In 2017–2021, individuals diagnosed with thyroid cancer had a 97% chance (94% for males and 98% 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 thyroid cancer increased from 88% to 97%.
Graph: statistics-thyroid-cancer-figure-5-5-year-relative-survival
Prevalence
At the end of 2017, there were 3,711 people living who had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer that year, 16,550 people living who had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the previous 5 years (from 2017 to 2021) and 52,208 people living who had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the previous 40 years (from 1982 to 2021).
For more information on cancer data, see 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.
