New cases of cancer in New Zealand
1948–2023, number of new registrations
| Year | Number of new registrations |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 3,474 |
| 1949 | 3,675 |
| 1950 | 3,605 |
| 1951 | 3,787 |
| 1952 | 3,968 |
| 1953 | 4,146 |
| 1954 | 4,332 |
| 1955 | 4,408 |
| 1956 | 4,706 |
| 1957 | 4,842 |
| 1958 | 3,829 |
| 1959 | 4,036 |
| 1960 | 4,087 |
| 1961 | 4,432 |
| 1962 | 4,546 |
| 1963 | 4,760 |
| 1964 | 4,887 |
| 1965 | 5,140 |
| 1966 | 5,263 |
| 1967 | 5,463 |
| 1968 | 5,870 |
| 1969 | 5,965 |
| 1970 | 6,292 |
| 1971 | 6,567 |
| 1972 | 7,083 |
| 1973 | 7,402 |
| 1974 | 7,911 |
| 1975 | 8,270 |
| 1976 | 8,366 |
| 1977 | 8,517 |
| 1978 | 8,865 |
| 1979 | 8,884 |
| 1980 | 9,360 |
| 1981 | 9,526 |
| 1982 | 9,918 |
| 1983 | 10,330 |
| 1984 | 10,461 |
| 1985 | 10,434 |
| 1986 | 10,746 |
| 1987 | 11,247 |
| 1988 | 12,089 |
| 1989 | 12,146 |
| 1990 | 11,942 |
| 1991 | 12,252 |
| 1992 | 12,508 |
| 1993 | 12,764 |
| 1994 | 15,453 |
| 1995 | 15,865 |
| 1996 | 16,228 |
| 1997 | 16,137 |
| 1998 | 16,669 |
| 1999 | 17,059 |
| 2000 | 17,893 |
| 2001 | 18,017 |
| 2002 | 17,981 |
| 2003 | 18,698 |
| 2004 | 18,963 |
| 2005 | 18,651 |
| 2006 | 18,987 |
| 2007 | 19,917 |
| 2008 | 20,486 |
| 2009 | 21,076 |
| 2010 | 21,507 |
| 2011 | 21,327 |
| 2012 | 22,147 |
| 2013 | 22,510 |
| 2014 | 23,355 |
| 2015 | 23,556 |
| 2016 | 24,481 |
| 2017 | 24,835 |
| 2018 | 26,498 |
| 2019 | 26,680 |
| 2020 | 27,297 |
| 2021 | 28,095 |
| 2022 | 28,492 |
| 2023 | 29,719 |
Definitions
The number of new cancers reflects the number of primary tumours rather than the number of individuals with cancer.
Data calculation/treatment
Rates are expressed per 100,000 population and age-standardised to the WHO World Standard Population. The population is based on official estimates as at 31 December.
Limitations of the data
Caution is advised when interpreting rates derived from small numbers as they may fluctuate markedly from year to year.
Exclusions
Multiple cancers with the same site and same morphological group are excluded.
Data provided by
Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand
Dataset name
Cancer: Historical cancer data 2023
Webpage:
https://tewhatuora.shinyapps.io/cancer-web-tool/
How to find the data
At URL provided, navigate to the 'Historical cancer datasets' heading, and click on 'Download data' button, choose 'All data' under 'Select download option'.
Import & extraction details
File as imported: Cancer: Historical cancer data 2023
From the dataset Cancer: Historical cancer data 2023, this data was extracted:
- Rows: 2-8,732
- Columns: 4-5
- Provided: 17,462 data points
This data forms the table Cancer - Registered cases by cancer type and sex 1948–2023.
Dataset originally released on:
December 18, 2025
About this dataset
This data provides high-level data on historical registrations (or cases) and deaths, including information about the cancer types and breakdowns by gender variables.
Method of collection/Data provider
Cancer registrations data are from the New Zealand Cancer Registry, and cancer deaths data from the New Zealand Mortality Collection. Both are held by Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand.