Injuries arising from falls
The most common types of falls over the last 5 years were those that occurred on the same level (58%), such as slipping, tripping and stumbling (Table 1).
| Cause | Number of injuries | Per cent of injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Fall on same level from slipping, tripping, and stumbling | 41,013 | 24.3 |
| Other fall on same level | 56,871 | 33.6 |
| Unspecified fall | 39,922 | 23.6 |
| Fall involving bed | 20,363 | 12.0 |
| Fall involving chair | 6,435 | 3.8 |
| Fall involving wheelchair | 1,770 | 1.0 |
Notes:
- Data show the percentage of hospital-onset fall injuries from 2020–21 to 2024–25 combined.
- Hospital-onset injuries exclude diagnosis codes T80-T88 Complications of surgical and medical care and T90-T98 Sequelae of injuries, of poisoning and of other external causes.
- Analysis excludes care types 7.3, 9, 10, and separations for same day chemotherapy or haemodialysis.
- Downloadable data tables are available on Data. See Table S18.
Source: AIHW analysis of the National Hospital Morbidity Database
In 2024–25, open wounds (30%) and superficial injuries (24%) were the most common injuries sustained from falls (Figure 10). However, 28% of injuries from falls were not specified.
Figure 10: Ten most common injury types associated with falls, 2024–25
Horizontal bar chart showing ten most common hospital-onset injury types from falls in 2024-25. Open wounds lead at 30%, followed by superficial injuries at 25%, fractures at 9%, and other injuries ranging from 3% to 0.02%, highlighting the prevalence of open wounds and superficial injuries.
| Injury type | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Open wound | 30% |
| Superficial injury | 25% |
| Fracture | 9% |
| Intracranial injury | 3% |
| Other specified and/or multiple injuries | 3% |
| Soft-tissue injury | 1% |
| Dislocation | 0.5% |
| Internal organs | 0.3% |
| Nerve injury | 0.1% |
| Blood vessels | 0.02% |
- Data are presented as a percentage of all hospital-onset injury diagnoses with external cause codes in the range W00-W19 Falls in 2024–25.
- Hospital-onset injuries exclude diagnosis codes T80-T88 Complications of surgical and medical care and Y90-Y98 Sequelae of injuries, of poisoning and of other external causes.
- Analysis excludes care types 7.3, 9, 10, and separations for same day chemotherapy or haemodialysis.
Downloadable data tables are available on Data. See Table S19.
Source:
AIHW analysis of the National Hospital Morbidity Database
|
Data source overview
In 2024–25, fractures and open wounds resulting from falls increased with age while superficial injuries decreased with age. While intracranial injuries were low across all age groups, they represent serious injuries (Figure 11). In summary:
- 8% of people aged 95 and over sustained a fracture from a fall compared to 4% of people aged 0–19 years.
- 41% of people aged 95 and over sustained an open wound from a fall compared to 12% of people aged 0–19 years.
- 35% of people aged 0–19 sustained a superficial injury from a fall compared to 20% of people aged 95 and above.
Figure 11: Age distribution of fractures, intracranial injuries, open wounds, and superficial injuries from falls, 2024–25
Bar chart showing age distribution of fractures, intracranial injuries, open wounds, and superficial injuries from falls for age groups 0-19 to 95+. It highlights increasing open wounds and fractures with age, with superficial injuries decreasing and intracranial injuries remaining low across all groups, using distinct colours for each injury type.
| Age group | Superficial injury | Open wound | Fracture | Intracranial injury | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–19 | 34.7% | 12.4% | 4.5% | 4.2% | 44.1% |
| 20–24 | 28.9% | 12.9% | 5.5% | 3% | 49.8% |
| 25–29 | 21.4% | 11.9% | 5.2% | 2.8% | 58.7% |
| 30–34 | 26.4% | 12.9% | 5.3% | 3.1% | 52.2% |
| 35–39 | 27.3% | 16% | 11.5% | 2.3% | 43% |
| 40–44 | 27.1% | 15% | 5.6% | 3.7% | 48.6% |
| 45–49 | 28.4% | 12.3% | 6.9% | 3.1% | 49.3% |
| 50–54 | 27.2% | 14.3% | 7.4% | 2% | 49% |
| 55–59 | 26.9% | 17.9% | 8.3% | 2.9% | 44% |
| 60–64 | 25.2% | 23.3% | 8% | 2.4% | 41.1% |
| 65–69 | 25.8% | 25.6% | 8.4% | 3.4% | 36.9% |
| 70–74 | 25.6% | 28.2% | 9% | 2.9% | 34.3% |
| 75–79 | 24.3% | 31.9% | 8.7% | 3.1% | 32.1% |
| 80–84 | 23.2% | 34.6% | 8.9% | 3.3% | 30% |
| 85–89 | 22.7% | 36.6% | 9.5% | 3% | 28.3% |
| 90–94 | 20.9% | 39.3% | 10.2% | 3.3% | 26.3% |
| 95+ | 20.4% | 41% | 7.9% | 4.1% | 26.7% |
- Data are the percentage of injury types among all injury diagnoses from hospital-onset falls by age group.
- Hospital-onset injuries exclude diagnosis codes T80-T88 Complications of surgical and medical care and Y90-Y98 Sequelae of injuries, of poisoning and of other external causes.
- Analysis excludes care types 7.3, 9, 10, and separations for same day chemotherapy or haemodialysis.
Downloadable data tables are available on Data. See Table S20.
Source:
AIHW analysis of the National Hospital Morbidity Database
|
Data source overview