Skin cancer isn’t always easy to identify, and doctors may struggle to tell if a skin blemish is actually cancerous.
There are two types of skin cancer; melanoma and non-melanoma.
It’s one of the most common cancers in the world, and more than 100,000 new cases are diagnosed every year in the UK.
But, how does the UK’s skin cancer rate compare to the rest of the world?
The UK is 10th on the list of countries comparing the number of skin cancer cases to population, latest figures have revealed.
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New Zealand has the highest skin cancer incidence score – the number of new cases each year, measured by population.
Its Oceania neighbour, Australia lies in second, with more than 12,000 annual melanoma cases each year.
The total number of deaths from skin cancer have doubled since 1990, said author of the research, derma.plus.
People must take more precautions to avoid the disease, as the number of cases continues to rise, it said.
Derma.plus Chief Medical Advisor, Professor Dietrich Abeck, said: “Incidence of both non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers has increased dramatically over the past decades.
“This study is indicative that a high level of UV exposure, coupled with a lighter skin tone led to a higher diagnosis of skin cancer.
“However, on the other hand, the index reveals that countries such as New Zealand and Australia, which have some of the highest incidences of skin cancer, also have some of the lowest death rates due to high levels of health expenditure.”
It’s not entirely possible to prevent skin cancer, but you could lower your risk by making some lifestyle changes.
The best way to protect yourself from skin cancer is to avoid sunburn.
Use a high-factor suncream, dress sensibly in the sun, and limit the amount of time you spend in the sun during the hottest part of the day.
Full list of countries with the largest number of new skin cancer cases by population (scaled from one to 10):
1. New Zealand 10
2. Australia 9.67
3. Switzerland 5.89
4. Sweden 5.79
5. Norway 5.71
6. Netherlands 5.6
7. Denmark 5.57
8. Slovenia 5.19
9. USA 4.62
10. Great Britain 4.6
11. Finland 4.59
12. Czech Republic 4.38
13. Germany 4.36
14. Republic of Ireland 4.02
15. Belgium 3.79
16. Austria 3.51
17. Iceland 3.49
18. France 3.48
19. Canada 3.41
20. Slovakia 3.41
21. Serbia 3.32
22. Estonia 3.04
23. Latvia 2.84
24. Hungary 2.84
25. Spain 2.74
26. Lithuania 2.53
27. Croatia 2.39
28. Malta 2.37
29. Italy 2.35
30. Israel 2.13
31. Macedonia 2.13
32. Poland 2.08
33. Ukraine 2.04
34. Bulgaria 1.98
35. Russia 1.95
36. Cyprus 1.95
37. Romania 1.91
38. Portugal 1.72
39. Greece 1.70
40. Montenegro 1.59
41. South Africa 1.54
42. Argentina 1.52
43. Colombia 1.49
44. Brazil 1.47
45. Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.44
46. Turkey 1.31
47. Chile 1.28
48. Mexico 1.26
49. Albania 1.2
50. South Korea 1.2
51. Japan 1.16
52. China 1.1
53. Iran 1.1
54. Indonesia 1.05
55. Philippines 1.03
56. Nigeria 1.02
57. Pakistan 1.02
58. India 1.02
59. Egypt 1.00
60. Iraq 1.00
61. Bangladesh 1.00