Overview

Injuries are a major health care issue in Australia. Most injuries requiring hospitalisation are the result of falls, contact with objects or transport accidents, while most deaths from injuries are the result of falls or suicide. Injury hospitalisations and deaths were more likely in males, and people aged 65 and over.

Featured summary

95% of deaths from falls occurred among people aged 65 and over
Between 2017–18 and 2022–23, injury hospitalisation rates declined for women
Injury health care spending in Australia was $11.4 billion in 2023–24
There were 62,100 sports injury hospitalisations reported in Australia in 2023–24

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Latest findings

There were 1,824,454 injury ED presentations in 2023–24 (6,775.1 per 100,000 population)

Injuries caused 575,345 hospitalisations in 2023–24 (2,136.5 per 100,000 population)

The rate of sports injury hospitalisations in 2023–24 remained the highest among younger Australian males aged 15–19

Falls continued to be the leading cause of sports injury hospitalisations accounting for one-third of hospitalisations

There were 217,224 injury hospitalisations, 5,880 deaths and 536,835 ED presentations among women in 2022–23

Unintentional falls were the leading cause of injury hospitalisation and death for women in 2022–23

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