Hodgkin lymphoma statistics


What is HL?

Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) or Hodgkin’s disease is a type of lymphoma which originates from abnormal B-cells and is morphologically characterised by “Reed-Sternberg cells” that have a unique appearance and are identified within disease affecting lymphoid tissue such as lymph nodes.

You can access further information about HL, including risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment from Cancer Council Victoria. You can also call our trusted cancer nurses on 13 11 20 for support and to learn about our range of services for people affected by cancer.

The Victorian Cancer Registry also operates an interactive web portal, Data Explorer, which provides more trends and statistics than published here.

How common is HL?

In 2024, 239 Victorians were diagnosed with HL. Of these, there were 125 males and 114 females, representing 52% and 48% of the total Victorian HL diagnoses, respectively. Currently, HL is diagnosed at a rate of 3.5 per 100,000 males and 3.1 per 100,000 females. The median age at diagnosis of HL is 38 years in males and 34 in females (Figure 1 & 2). Accounting for 0.59% of all cancers diagnosed and 0.19% of all cancer-related deaths in 2024, HL was the 30th most commonly diagnosed cancer and the 41st most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Victoria in 2024.


Figure 1: Distribution of HL incidence in 2024, by sex within age groups

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2026)


Figure 2: Distribution of HL incidence in 2024, compared to the distribution of the Victorian population in 2024, by 5-year age brackets

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2026)

Geographical variance in HL by local government area

Figure 4 demonstrates variation in the estimated risk of being diagnosed with HL, by local government area, relative to the Victorian average. Red shading indicates areas with higher risk and blue shading indicates areas with lower risk relative to Victoria.


Figure 4: Variation in the incidence of HL for the period 2020-2024, by location of residence in Victoria

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2026)


Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) were smoothed using Bayesian spatial model as per the Australian Cancer Atlas and compare the risk of diagnosis in each local government area to the Victorian average over the period shown.


HL in people born overseas

Figure 5 shows the standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) of Hodgkin Lymphoma in Australian-born Victorians compared to other major migrant groups, over the five-year period 2019 to 2023. The highest standardised incidence ratio (SIR) for Hodgkin Lymphoma was 1.2 for males born in the Southern Europe region and the lowest SIR of 0.23 was observed in males born in the North-East Asia region. The highest standardised incidence ratio (SIR) for Hodgkin Lymphoma was 1.7 for females born in the North America region and the lowest SIR of 0.28 was observed in females born in the North-East Asia region.


Figure 5: Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals for HL in Victorians born in Australia and New Zealand compared to Victorians born in other countries for the period 2019-2023, by sex

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2026)


Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2026)



HL five-year relative survival

Figure 6 shows the change in 5-year survival for Hodgkin Lymphoma, and the 5-year survival trend for all cancers over the same time period. It demonstrates that five-year relative survival has increased for Hodgkin Lymphoma between 1985-1989 and 2020-2024 from 73% to 90%.

Figure 6: Trend in five year relative survival following diagnosis of HL in five year brackets, from the period 1985-1989 to 2020-2024. Bars represent 5-year survival for HL. Dots represent 5-year survival for all cancers.


Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2026)

This webpage was last updated in June 2026