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Key Statistics for Lymphoma in Children
About 15% of all cancers in children and teens are lymphomas. Together, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas are the third most common type of cancer in children.
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Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
About 800 children and teens are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in the United States each year.
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more common than Hodgkin lymphoma in children under 10.
- NHL is about 2 to 3 times more common in boys than in girls.
- It is more common in White children than Black children.
Overall, the risk of NHL in children increases with age. It can develop in children at any age, but it's uncommon in children younger than 5.
Hodgkin lymphoma
About 1,100 children and teens are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in the United States each year.
- Hodgkin lymphoma is almost 2 times more common than non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adolescents ages 15 to 19.
- Younger boys are more likely to have HL than younger girls.
- In adolescence, boys and girls are equally likely to have HL.
- Over age 10, HL is more common in White children than Black children. Under age 10, Black and White children are equally likely to develop HL.
Statistics on survival can be found in Survival Rates for Childhood Lymphoma.
- Written by
- References
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Allen CE, Kelly KM, Bollard CM. Pediatric lymphomas and histiocytic disorders of childhood. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2015;62(1):139-165.
McClain KL, Kamdar KY. Overview of Hodgkin lymphoma in children and adolescents. UpToDate. 2025. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/overview-of-hodgkin-lymphoma-in-children-and-adolescents on November 13, 2025.
National Cancer Institute. Childhood Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment (PDQ). 2025. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/lymphoma/hp/child-hodgkin-treatment-pdq on November 11, 2025.
National Cancer Institute. Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment (PDQ). 2025. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/lymphoma/hp/child-nhl-treatment-pdq on November 11, 2025.
Mousavi SE, Najafi M, Aslani A, Ghasemi H, Yekta Z, Nejadghaderi SA. Population based analysis of twenty year incidence trends of pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma in the United States. Sci Rep. 2025;15(1):22634. Published 2025 Jul 2.
Termuhlen AM, Gross TG. Overview of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in children and adolescents. UpToDate. 2025. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/overview-of-non-hodgkin-lymphoma-in-children-and-adolescents on November 13, 2025.
Last Revised: February 27, 2026
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