Ranked causes

This chapter provides an overview of the main causes of injury hospitalisations (Figure 4) and deaths (Figure 5). Injuries have been categorised based on the first external cause of injury listed in each hospital and death record. ED presentations are not reported by cause due to the quality of the currently recorded information. Please refer to the technical notes for further details.

Ranked frequencies of injury hospitalisations and deaths by cause remained stable since the last financial year of reporting. 

  • Falls remain the leading cause of injury for hospitalisations (2024–25) and deaths (2023–24)

In 2024–25, the leading causes of injury hospitalisations were (Figure 4):

  1. falls (253,800 hospitalisations or 926.1 per 100,000 population)
  2. contact with objects (82,283 cases or 300.3 per 100,000 population)
  3. transport (66,890 cases or 244.1 per 100,000 population)

In 2023–24, the leading causes of injury deaths were (Figure 5):

  1. falls (6,722 deaths or 25.0 per 100,000 population)
  2. suicide (3,316 deaths or 12.3 per 100,000 population)
  3. accidental poisoning (1,597 deaths or 5.9 per 100,000)

Figure 4: Injury hospitalisations by cause of injury, 2024–25

The top three causes of injury, ranked from highest to lowest were falls, contact with objects and transport

Note: Numbers and crude rates of hospitalisations (per 100,000 population) are represented by ranked rows.

Sources: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database and ABS National, state and territory population.

Figure 5: Injury deaths by cause of injury, 2023–24

Ranked number and crude rate of injury deaths by cause. The top two causes for both numbers and rates were falls followed by suicide.

Note: Numbers and crude rates of deaths (per 100,000 population) are represented by ranked rows.

Sources: AIHW National Mortality Database and ABS National, state and territory population.

For more detail, see Supplementary data tables H2 and D2.

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