Deaths caused by cancer in 2011 amounted to 26% of all deaths in Malta during that year, a Eurostat report revealed.

The absolute number of cancer related deaths for Malta stood at 875 during that year, 247 of whom were aged below 65.

The most common cause of cancer death was lung cancer, accounting for 18.1% of these deaths. Colorectal cancer came second with a 12.6% share of these deaths.

For the EU as a whole, 2011 saw 1.281 million people die from cancer in 2011, making cancer responsible for 26.3% of deaths in the EU that year. While the total number of deaths had decreased from 2002 by 0.5%, the total number of cancer deaths had increased by over 6%.

The countries with the highest cancer death rates in the EU 28 in 2011 were Holland with 31.9% share of deaths and Slovenia with a 31.3% share.