Motor neurone disease deaths in the UK
The Office for National Statistics recorded 2,092 deaths in England and Wales in 2025 where the underlying cause was Motor neuron disease (ICD-10 G12.2). That was 134 more than in 2024 (1,958). The highest yearly figure since 2001 was 2,170 in 2013; the lowest was 1,434 in 2001.
Deaths each year in England and Wales
Taking account of the population's size and age, the ONS age-standardised death rate was 3.4 per 100,000 people in 2025, 20.9% lower than in 2013 (4.3). For men it was 4.1 and for women 2.8.
In 2025, 1,176 of the deaths were of men and 916 of women.
| Year | All | Men | Women | Age-standardised rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,092 | 1,176 | 916 | 3.4 |
| 2024 | 1,958 | 1,103 | 855 | 3.2 |
| 2023 | 1,925 | 1,056 | 869 | 3.2 |
| 2022 | 1,924 | 999 | 925 | 3.3 |
| 2021 | 1,962 | 1,081 | 881 | 3.4 |
| 2020 | 1,887 | 1,045 | 842 | 3.3 |
| 2019 | 1,994 | 1,087 | 907 | 3.5 |
| 2018 | 1,882 | 1,073 | 809 | 3.4 |
| 2017 | 1,904 | 1,060 | 844 | 3.5 |
| 2016 | 1,804 | 985 | 819 | 3.4 |
| 2015 | 1,804 | 1,025 | 779 | 3.4 |
| 2014 | 1,810 | 935 | 875 | 3.5 |
| 2013 | 2,170 | 1,246 | 924 | 4.3 |
| 2012 | 2,150 | 1,195 | 955 | – |
| 2011 | 1,933 | 1,038 | 895 | – |
| 2010 | 1,941 | 1,092 | 849 | – |
| 2009 | 1,789 | 971 | 818 | – |
| 2008 | 1,738 | 936 | 802 | – |
| 2007 | 1,683 | 947 | 736 | – |
| 2006 | 1,655 | 930 | 725 | – |
| 2005 | 1,568 | 887 | 681 | – |
| 2004 | 1,505 | 826 | 679 | – |
| 2003 | 1,477 | 781 | 696 | – |
| 2002 | 1,469 | 794 | 675 | – |
| 2001 | 1,434 | 773 | 661 | – |
Age at death
Of the 2,092 deaths in 2025 with an age recorded, 45.8% were of people aged 75 or over; the largest number, 736, was in the 75 to 84 age group.
| Age | 2025: all | 2025: men | 2025: women | 2001: all |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 to 44 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 30 |
| 45 to 64 | 459 | 275 | 184 | 384 |
| 65 to 74 | 651 | 371 | 280 | 477 |
| 75 to 84 | 736 | 400 | 336 | 442 |
| 85 and over | 222 | 119 | 103 | 100 |
How the figures are defined
Each death is counted once, under its underlying cause: the disease or injury that started the chain of events leading to death, as certified by a doctor or coroner and coded by the ONS to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). This page uses the ONS grouping “Motor neuron disease”, codes G12.2. Other conditions mentioned on a death certificate are not counted here.
Registration dates, the deaths left out, the age-standardised rate and the ONS's coding changes are explained under how these figures are compiled.
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Sources and receipts
ONS mortality extracts for codes G12.2, with SHA-256 fingerprints; the ONS, NRS and NISRA workbooks are listed with the other sources.
- Mortality statistics - underlying cause, sex and age (NM_161_1)Office for National Statistics (Nomis) · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
cb9423830ca3f73c…· publisher's page
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