Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is considered to be a potent cell-damaging agent in various cell lineages; however, the effect of UV light‑emitting diode (LED) irradiation on human cells remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of UV LED irradiation emitting at 280 nm on cultured HL‑60 human leukemia cells, and to explore the underlying mechanisms. HL‑60 cells were irradiated with UV LED (8, 15, 30 and 60 J/m2) and incubated for 2 h after irradiation. The rates of cell proliferation and apoptosis, the cell cycle profiles and the mRNA expression of B‑cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‑2) were detected using cell counting kit‑8, multicaspase assays, propidium iodide staining and reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The results showed that UV LED irradiation (8‑60 J/m2) inhibited the proliferation of HL‑60 cells in a dose‑dependent manner. UV LED at 8‑30 J/m2 induced dose‑dependent apoptosis and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, and inhibited the expression of Bcl‑2 mRNA, while UV LED at 60 J/m2 induced necrosis. In conclusion, 280 nm UV LED irradiation inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis and necrosis in cultured HL‑60 cells. In addition, the cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and the downregulation of Bcl‑2 mRNA expression were shown to be involved in UV LED-induced apoptosis.