Deaths
In 2022–23, around 3 in 5 injury deaths (60.9%) were for males (9,332 deaths, an age-standardised rate (ASR) of 65.1 per 100,000 persons) and 39.1% were for females (6,000 deaths, ASR of 32.9 per 100,000 persons).
Males were more likely to die from any cause of injury than females. Falls was the leading cause of death for both sexes, and even though more females than males died from falls (3,439 and 3,259 respectively), the mortality rate from falls was still higher for males than females (20.4 and 15.8 per 100,000 persons, respectively) (Figure 22).
Figure 22: Number and age standardised rate (per 100,000 persons) of injury deaths by injury cause and sex, Australia, 2022–23
Notes:
- Causes are ranked by descending total number of injury deaths (Figure 5)
- Rates are age-standardised per 100,000 population.
- Age-standardised rates where the numerator is less than 20 are not calculated.
Sources: AIHW National Mortality Database and ABS National, state and territory population.
Deaths increased with age for both sexes, with higher mortality among males as compared to females from age 10 onwards (Figure 18). Over half of injury deaths (54.8%) were for people aged 70 and over.
Trends by age
Over the past decade, injury mortality rates have remained steady or decreased for most younger age groups but increased for adults aged 45 and over (see Figure 21 on the previous page).