Leukemia - Chronic Lymphocytic - CLL: Statistics

Approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, 02/2023

ON THIS PAGE: You will find information about the estimated number of people who will be diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) each year. You will also read general information on surviving the disease. Remember, survival rates depend on several factors, and no 2 people with cancer are the same. Use the menu to see other pages. 

Every person is different, with different factors influencing their risk of being diagnosed with this cancer and the chance of recovery after a diagnosis. It is important to talk with your doctor about any questions you have around the general statistics provided below and what they may mean for you individually. The original sources for these statistics are provided at the bottom of this page.

How many people are diagnosed with CLL?

CLL makes up 25% of all new leukemia cases, mainly in adults. CLL is the most common type of leukemia in adults older than 19, accounting for 38% of all leukemia diagnoses. In 2023, an estimated 18,740 people of all ages (12,130 men and boys and 6,610 women and girls) in the United States will be diagnosed with CLL. While it can occur at any age, the average age at diagnosis is around 70. CLL is uncommon in people younger than 40 and is very rare in children.

It is estimated that 4,490 deaths (2,830 men and 1,660 women) from this disease will occur in the United States in 2023.

What is the survival rate for CLL?

There are different types of statistics that can help doctors evaluate a person’s chance of recovery from CLL. These are called survival statistics. A specific type of survival statistic is called the relative survival rate. It is often used to predict how having cancer may affect life expectancy. Relative survival rate looks at how likely people with CLL are to survive for a certain amount of time after their initial diagnosis or start of treatment compared to the expected survival of similar people without this cancer

Example: Here is an example to help explain what a relative survival rate means. Please note this is only an example and not specific to this type of cancer. Let’s assume that the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific type of cancer is 90%. “Percent” means how many out of 100. Imagine there are 1,000 people without cancer, and based on their age and other characteristics, you expect 900 of the 1,000 to be alive in 5 years. Also imagine there are another 1,000 people similar in age and other characteristics as the first 1,000, but they all have the specific type of cancer that has a 5-year survival rate of 90%. This means it is expected that 810 of the people with the specific cancer (90% of 900) will be alive in 5 years.

It is important to remember that statistics on the survival rates for people with CLL are only an estimate. They cannot tell an individual person if cancer will or will not shorten their life. Instead, these statistics describe trends in groups of people previously diagnosed with the same disease, including specific stages of the disease.

The 5-year relative survival rate for people age 20 and older with CLL is 88%.  

The survival rates for CLL vary based on several factors. These include the stage of cancer, a person’s age and general health, and how well the treatment plan works.

Experts measure relative survival rate statistics for CLL every 5 years. This means the estimate may not reflect the results of advancements in how CLL is diagnosed or treated from the last 5 years. Talk with your doctor if you have any questions about this information. Learn more about understanding statistics.

Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's (ACS) publication Cancer Facts & Figures 2023 and the ACS website. (Sources accessed February 2023.)   

The next section in this guide is Medical Illustrations. It offers drawings of body parts often affected by CLL. Use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide.