Around 5,000 people still die every year in Great Britain from diseases caused by past asbestos exposure — more than a quarter of a century after the substance was banned. This page gathers the key UK asbestos statistics in one place: annual deaths, mesothelioma trends, workforce exposure, the ban timeline and compensation data. Every figure is drawn from official sources — principally the Health and Safety Executive's annual statistics releases, alongside Cancer Research UK registry data and Department for Education survey findings — and each is given with its data period.
Key facts and figures
- 5,000+ deaths in Great Britain every year are linked to past asbestos exposure — the HSE's current headline figure.
- 2,146 people died from mesothelioma in Great Britain in 2024, down from 2,255 in 2023.
- Over 2,000 asbestos-related lung cancer deaths a year are estimated in Great Britain; HSE describes a burden similar to mesothelioma.
- 503 death certificates mentioned asbestosis in 2024, excluding those that also mentioned mesothelioma.
- 1,680 new mesothelioma cases were assessed for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit in Great Britain in 2024.
- 20 tradespeople a week die from past asbestos exposure, according to HSE campaign figures.
- 24 November 1999 — the main chrysotile ban took effect in Great Britain; Northern Ireland followed on 2 May 2000.
- Many decades can pass between asbestos exposure and symptoms; the interval varies by disease and individual.
Reviewed on 15 October 2026. Death figures are from HSE’s July 2026 release and relate to 2024; the latest year is provisional. Other measures retain their own reference periods.
How many people die from asbestos in the UK each year?
Around 5,000 deaths each year in Great Britain are attributed to past asbestos exposure, according to the HSE's current asbestos-related disease statistics. The total combines three conditions: mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis.
HSE recorded 2,146 mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain in 2024. It estimates a similar number of asbestos-related lung cancer deaths, rather than counting each asbestos-attributed lung tumour. There were also 503 death certificates mentioning asbestosis but not mesothelioma. These are different measures: a mention on a certificate does not necessarily mean the disease was the underlying cause.
For context, HSE’s provisional 2025/26 count was 126 workers killed in work-related accidents in Great Britain. The asbestos estimate concerns long-latency disease caused largely by past exposure, so it is not a count of deaths from incidents occurring in the same year.
| Measure | Latest figure | Data period | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| All asbestos-related deaths (GB) | Around 5,000 a year | HSE July 2026 estimate | Estimated combined disease burden |
| Mesothelioma deaths (GB) | 2,146 | 2024, provisional | 2,255 in 2023; average 2,508 in 2011–2020 |
| Asbestos-related lung cancer deaths (GB) | Over 2,000 a year | HSE July 2026 estimate | Similar scale to mesothelioma; not a precise count |
| Asbestosis certificate mentions, excluding mesothelioma (GB) | 503 | 2024, provisional | 517 in 2023 |
| New mesothelioma cases (UK) | 2,556 a year | 2019 and 2021–2022 average | Cancer Research UK registry-based incidence |
| New IIDB diffuse pleural thickening cases (GB) | 395 | 2024 | 390 in 2023; assessments are not deaths |
A note on geography: the HSE's death figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), while Cancer Research UK's incidence figures cover the whole UK. The two are not directly interchangeable, which is why each figure on this page carries its source and data period.
How many people die from mesothelioma in the UK?
2,146 people died from mesothelioma in Great Britain in 2024 — a second consecutive annual fall, down from 2,255 in 2023, and well below the 2011–2020 average of around 2,508 deaths per year.
Cancer Research UK reports an average of 2,556 new mesothelioma cases a year in the UK for 2019 and 2021–2022. Incidence counts diagnoses, whereas HSE’s 2024 figure counts deaths in Great Britain. The figures differ in period, geography and measure and should not be compared as if they described the same group.
Because mesothelioma is almost always fatal and almost always caused by asbestos, it acts as the barometer for the wider epidemic. The HSE's projections indicate that annual deaths will continue to decline gradually as the generations with the heaviest occupational exposure age. For what the disease is, its symptoms and how exposure causes harm, see our guide to asbestos exposure and symptoms.
How many tradespeople are exposed to asbestos?
HSE continues to warn that around 20 tradespeople a week die from disease linked to past asbestos exposure. This is a campaign estimate, not a newly measured count of workers exposed this week. Older figures about 1.3 million tradespeople and over 100 possible contacts a year came from earlier awareness research and should not be treated as current exposure surveillance.
The at-risk group is far wider than licensed removal operatives. Joiners and carpenters, electricians, plumbers and heating engineers, painters and decorators, roofers, and maintenance and facilities staff all routinely work on buildings constructed before 2000 — where asbestos may be present in ceiling tiles, partition boards, floor tiles, pipe lagging, cement products and dozens of other materials.
That exposure profile is why Regulation 10 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 requires employers to provide asbestos awareness training for any worker whose job could foreseeably disturb asbestos. Our guide to who needs asbestos awareness training explains where the duty applies, and the Asbestos Awareness Course covers the required syllabus online in 1–2 hours.
When was asbestos banned in the UK?
The main prohibition on new chrysotile import, supply and use took effect in Great Britain on 24 November 1999, subject to limited exceptions at the time. Northern Ireland’s equivalent regulations came into force on 2 May 2000. Earlier prohibitions had already restricted blue and brown asbestos.
The ban did not require all existing asbestos to be removed. Buildings constructed or refurbished before 2000 should be checked for possible asbestos before intrusive work; existing materials must be managed according to their condition and the risk of disturbance. See our guide to when asbestos was banned for the legislative timeline.
Why are asbestos deaths still so high 25 years after the ban?
Asbestos-related diseases usually take many years, often decades, to develop. Current deaths largely reflect exposures during the period of widespread industrial use in the 1950s to 1980s, although exposure can still occur today when older materials are disturbed.
The latency period explains the shape of the epidemic. Mesothelioma deaths kept rising for decades after the health risks were established, averaging around 2,508 a year across 2011–2020, and have only recently begun to fall — down to 2,146 in 2024. The people dying now were typically exposed long before the 1985 and 1999 prohibitions took effect.
Falling death numbers do not mean the hazard has gone. Enormous quantities of asbestos remain in place in buildings across the country, and anyone who drills, cuts or breaks into pre-2000 building fabric without checking first can still be exposed today. That is why the training and management duties under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 remain in force, and why the HSE continues to run awareness campaigns aimed at the trades.
How much asbestos is left in UK buildings and schools?
Any building constructed or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos, and published estimates of the scale of the legacy range from around 300,000 non-domestic buildings to well over a million — we unpack the competing estimates, and where asbestos hides in domestic properties, on our companion page of asbestos in UK homes and buildings statistics.
In education, the Department for Education's Asbestos Management Assurance Process found that 80.9% of participating state schools in England reported asbestos somewhere on their estate (2019 report) — the full school-by-school picture, including staff deaths and system-built school buildings, is on our page of asbestos in schools statistics.
For duty holders, the practical requirements that follow — surveys, registers and management plans — are covered in our guide to the duty to manage asbestos.
How many people claim compensation for asbestos-related disease?
395 new cases of asbestos-related diffuse pleural thickening were assessed for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) in 2024, compared with 390 in 2023, 375 in 2022 and 460 in 2021. IIDB is the government's no-fault benefit scheme for prescribed industrial diseases, and its assessment counts are published alongside the HSE's annual asbestos statistics — a second, claims-based view of the disease burden that broadly mirrors the death-certificate data.
The IIDB figures capture only one route to compensation. Civil claims against former employers and their insurers run separately through the courts, and are not included in the counts above.
Frequently asked questions
How many people die from asbestos in the UK per year?
HSE estimates around 5,000 asbestos-related disease deaths a year in Great Britain. Its July 2026 release records 2,146 mesothelioma deaths in 2024, a similar estimated lung-cancer burden and 503 asbestosis certificate mentions excluding mesothelioma. The combined estimate is not an exact sum of a single year’s registered deaths.
Are asbestos deaths going up or down?
Down. Mesothelioma deaths fell to 2,255 in 2023 and again to 2,146 in 2024, against a 2011–2020 average of around 2,508 a year, and HSE projections indicate a continued gradual decline.
When was asbestos banned in the UK?
Great Britain’s main chrysotile prohibition took effect on 24 November 1999, following earlier restrictions on blue and brown asbestos. Northern Ireland’s equivalent prohibition took effect on 2 May 2000. Older installed asbestos was not automatically removed.
How many tradespeople are exposed to asbestos?
There is no current comprehensive count of individual tradespeople exposed. HSE’s campaign estimate of around 20 tradespeople dying each week concerns disease from past exposure, not current weekly exposure incidents.
What is the biggest asbestos-related cause of death?
Mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer are of similar size: mesothelioma is the best recorded (2,146 deaths in 2024), and the HSE assumes roughly one asbestos-related lung cancer death for each mesothelioma death. Asbestosis is smaller, with 503 death certificates mentioning it but not mesothelioma in 2024.
Where do UK asbestos statistics come from?
HSE publishes death-certificate, disease and benefit-assessment statistics, including the July 2026 asbestos releases. Cancer Research UK reports cancer-registry incidence, and education departments publish information about school estates. Each dataset has its own geography, date and definition.
Related guides
- Asbestos in UK Homes & Buildings: Statistics and Facts
- Asbestos in Schools Statistics UK: How Many Schools Are Affected?
- When was asbestos banned in the UK? The complete timeline
- Asbestos exposure: risks, symptoms, and the timeline of harm
- Who needs asbestos awareness training in the UK?
- The duty to manage asbestos: registers, plans, and what Regulation 4 requires
Sources & references
- HSE: Asbestos-related disease statistics, Great Britain 2026
- HSE: Mesothelioma statistics, Great Britain 2026
- HSE MESO01: revised historical death series, July 2026
- HSE: current key statistics
- HSE: April 2026 campaign estimate of tradespeople deaths
- Cancer Research UK: UK mesothelioma incidence
- Great Britain asbestos prohibition amendments, 1999
- Northern Ireland asbestos prohibition amendments, 2000
- Department for Education: AMAP report, 2019
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Mark writes about workplace health & safety, asbestos awareness and accredited online training for Asbestos Awareness Course, part of Online CPD Academy.