The effect of ethnicity and socio-economic status on the survival of a population-based cohort of 1979 children diagnosed with cancer between 1974 and 1995 was investigated. Ethnicity was assigned by computer algorithms and visual inspection as south Asian (or not) for each child, based on their full name. Socio-economic status was measured using the Carstairs index, based on census areas of case residence at diagnosis. 15 children (0.8%) were lost to follow-up. Log-rank tests showed survival from all cancers did not differ between south Asians and other children and no increased risk was observed for south Asians in any diagnostic category, although numbers were small. Increasing levels of deprivation were associated with significant trends of poorer survival from all cancers, leukaemias and brain tumours. Risk of death was typically higher for children from the most deprived areas although differences were not statistically significant after accounting for other factors including ethnicity. Taking all children with malignant disease together, neither ethnicity nor socio-economic status appear to influence survival after taking other factors into consideration.