Lymphoma - Hodgkin: Statistics

Approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, 03/2023

ON THIS PAGE: You will find information about the estimated number of people who will be diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma 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 Hodgkin lymphoma?

In 2023, an estimated 8,830 people (4,850 men and boys and 3,980 women and girls) in the United States will be diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Since the mid-2000s, the number of people diagnosed with this disease has dropped by around 1% each year. Worldwide, an estimated 83,087 people were diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020.

It is estimated that 900 deaths (540 men and boys and 360 women and girls) from this disease will occur in the United States in 2023. The survival rate has been going up since around 1975, thanks to treatment improvements. From 2011 to 2020, the death rate dropped by 4% every year. In 2020, an estimated 23,376 people worldwide died from Hodgkin lymphoma.

Hodgkin lymphoma affects both children and adults. In the United States, it is most common in 2 age groups. The first group is people in early adulthood, particularly people in their 20s. The second group is people older than 55. The average age of diagnosis is 39.

Although the disease is rare in children younger than 5, it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in teens ages 15 to 19. The disease accounts for 11% of all cancer cases in this age group. Learn more about this disease in children and adolescents.

What is the survival rate for Hodgkin lymphoma?

There are different types of statistics that can help doctors evaluate a person’s chance of recovery from Hodgkin lymphoma. 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 Hodgkin lymphoma 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 Hodgkin lymphoma 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 Hodgkin lymphoma in the United States is 89%.

The survival rates for Hodgkin lymphoma vary based on several factors. These include the subtype and stage of cancer, a person’s age and general health, and how well the treatment plan works. Another factor that can affect outcomes is a person’s sex.

The 5-year relative survival rate of people with localized Hodgkin lymphoma is 93%. If the cancer spreads regionally, the 5-year relative survival rate is 95%. If the cancer has spread to different parts of the body, the 5-year relative survival rate is 83%.

The relative survival rates for Hodgkin lymphoma on this page are based on people diagnosed between 2012 and 2018. Experts measure relative survival statistics every several years. This means the estimate may not reflect the results of advancements in how Hodgkin lymphoma is diagnosed or treated in recent 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, the ACS website, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer website. Additional source was: Seigel R, et al.: Cancer Statistics 2023. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2023 Jan; 73(1):17–48. doi/full/10.3322/caac.21763. (All sources accessed February 2023.)

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