Elderly Falls in Australia: Statistics for 2026
Falls are the single largest cause of injury hospitalisation and injury death in older Australians, accounting for 77% of injury hospitalisations and 71% of injury deaths in people aged 65 and over (AIHW). This page compiles the verified AIHW and ABS figures.
Last updated: June 2026
Overview: how serious are falls for older Australians?
Falls are the leading cause of both injury hospitalisation and injury death in Australians aged 65 and over. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), falls account for 77% of all injury hospitalisations and 71% of all injury deaths in that age group (2019-20). People aged 65 and over are about 12 times as likely to be hospitalised for a fall as adults aged 25-44 (AIHW, 2023-24), and risk rises steeply with age. Most serious falls happen at home: 53% of hospitalised falls in older Australians occurred at home and 21% in residential aged care (AIHW, 2019-20). Because roughly one in four Australians aged 65 and over live alone, a large share of these falls happen with no one present to call for help, which is why time-to-discovery matters as much as the fall itself.
Key statistics
These are the verified headline figures for falls among older Australians, drawn from the AIHW and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Each figure is sourced to a Tier-1 government report.
Where serious falls happen and who is exposed
The flagship picture combines two verified facts: most serious falls happen at home, and a large minority of older Australians live alone. AIHW data show 53% of hospitalised falls in people 65 and over occurred at home and 21% in residential aged care, with the remaining roughly one quarter happening in other settings such as the street, shops or healthcare facilities. ABS data show roughly 1 in 4 Australians aged 65 and over live alone, rising to about 1 in 3 of those aged 85 and over, and women are far more likely to live alone than men.
Verified fall location and living-alone figures, older Australians
| Measure | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injury hospitalisations (65+) caused by falls | 77% | 2019-20 | AIHW |
| Injury deaths (65+) caused by falls | 71% | 2019-20 | AIHW |
| Fall-hospitalisation risk, 65+ vs 25-44 | ~12x | 2023-24 | AIHW |
| Hospitalised falls (65+) at home | 53% | 2019-20 | AIHW |
| Hospitalised falls (65+) in residential aged care | 21% | 2019-20 | AIHW |
| Australians 65+ living alone | ~25% | 2022 | ABS SDAC |
| Australians 85+ living alone | ~35% | 2022 | ABS SDAC |
| Women 65+ living alone | 35.1% | 2022 | ABS SDAC |
| Men 65+ living alone | 19.0% | 2022 | ABS SDAC |
Sourced from AIHW (Falls in older Australians) and ABS Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC 2022). The 'at home' and 'aged care' shares do not sum to 100% because the remainder occurred in other settings.
Insight: falls dominate the injury picture, and risk concentrates with age
Falls are not a minor injury category for older Australians; they dominate it. When 77% of all injury hospitalisations and 71% of all injury deaths in this age group trace back to falls, preventing and detecting falls is effectively the whole injury-safety problem for people aged 65 and over. The risk also concentrates with age. A roughly 12-fold gap in hospitalisation risk between people aged 65 and over and adults aged 25-44 indicates an exponential, not linear, rise. The oldest old, aged 85 and over, are also the most likely to live alone at about 1 in 3, placing them at the sharp end of both fall risk and isolation.
Insight: the home is the danger zone and discovery time is a survival variable
Because 53% of serious falls happen at home and roughly a quarter of older Australians live alone, a large share of falls occur with no one present to call for help. This is precisely the scenario in which the outcome depends on how quickly the fall is discovered. The verified 'long lie' finding underlines this: about half of older people who lie on the floor for more than an hour die within six months (peer-reviewed cohort; Age UK). That shows the clock after a fall matters as much as the fall itself. Reducing the gap between falling and someone knowing is a modifiable risk that requires no new medical treatment. Australia also has a ready-made response network, with 3.0 million carers and 1.2 million primary carers in 2022 (ABS SDAC); the bottleneck is notification speed, not the absence of a willing responder.
Country comparison: Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Canada
Falls are the leading injury threat to older adults across all four countries, but each national statistics agency frames the data differently, so the most-citable headline differs by country. The United States and United Kingdom typically report a fall-incidence headline, the share of seniors who fall each year, while Australia and Canada report a share-of-injury headline, falls as a proportion of all injury hospitalisations or deaths. Across all four, the at-home, living-alone sub-population is where discovery time becomes the decisive factor, regardless of how each country counts falls.
Headline fall metric by country (verified)
| Country | Headline fall metric | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Falls = 77% of injury hospitalisations and 71% of injury deaths in 65+; ~12x risk vs 25-44 | 2019-20 / 2023-24 | AIHW |
| United States | ~1 in 4 (25%) adults 65+ fall each year (>14M); ~41,000 fall deaths per year | 2024 | CDC / NCHS |
| United Kingdom | ~1 in 3 of 65+ and ~1 in 2 of 80+ fall yearly; ~210,000 emergency fall admissions in 65+ (England) | 2022/23 | OHID PHOF |
| Canada | 7,621 fall deaths in 65+; falls = ~85% of injury hospitalisations | 2022 | PHAC |
Figures are sourced in each country's home jurisdiction: AIHW (Australia), CDC/NCHS (US), OHID Public Health Outcomes Framework (UK), Public Health Agency of Canada (Canada).
Why a daily check-in helps
You cannot stop every fall, but the part of this risk you can change is the gap between something going wrong and someone knowing. A daily check-in works simply: one tap a day confirms you are okay, and if that tap is missed, a chosen family member is alerted automatically. For an older person living alone, that can turn hours undiscovered on the floor into same-day awareness, with no pendant to wear and no button to press during the emergency. It is the quiet reassurance that someone notices if something is wrong, so independence can be kept.
Sources
- AIHW — Falls in older Australians 2019-20: hospitalisations and deaths (2022)
- AIHW — Falls (2023-24)
- AIHW — Falls in older Australians 2019-20: where did falls occur (2022)
- ABS — Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings (SDAC 2022)
- AIHW — Social isolation and loneliness (HILDA-based, 2023)
- Peer-reviewed cohort (PubMed 19015185); Age UK — long lie and 6-month mortality after a fall
- CDC — Older Adult Falls Data (2024)
- OHID — Public Health Outcomes Framework, falls indicator 2.24i (2022/23)
- Public Health Agency of Canada — Seniors' Falls in Canada
Related Data & Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the leading cause of injury death in older Australians?
Falls. They account for 71% of all injury deaths in Australians aged 65 and over (AIHW, 2019-20), making falls by far the leading cause of injury death in that age group.
What share of older Australians' injury hospitalisations are caused by falls?
77% (AIHW, 2019-20). This is one of the highest such shares for any single injury cause in any age group, which is why falls dominate the injury picture for people aged 65 and over.
How much more likely are older Australians to be hospitalised for a fall?
Australians aged 65 and over are about 12 times as likely to be hospitalised for a fall as adults aged 25-44 (AIHW, 2023-24). Fall risk rises steeply, and exponentially, with age.
Where do most older Australians' falls happen?
At home. 53% of hospitalised falls in people aged 65 and over occurred at home, and 21% occurred in residential aged care (AIHW, 2019-20). The remaining roughly one quarter happened in other settings.
Is fall risk higher at home or in residential aged care?
By count of hospitalised falls, more occur at home (53%) than in residential aged care (21%) (AIHW, 2019-20). Aged-care residents fall frequently too, but the larger number of serious falls happens in private homes.
How serious is a fall for an older Australian?
Serious enough to dominate injury outcomes: falls drive 77% of injury hospitalisations and 71% of injury deaths in this age group (AIHW). Severity rises with age, and a fall at home while living alone adds the risk of a delayed discovery.
How many older Australians live alone?
Roughly 1 in 4 Australians aged 65 and over live alone, rising to about 1 in 3 of those aged 85 and over, with 35.1% of women aged 65+ living alone versus 19.0% of men (ABS SDAC, 2022).
Are most older Australians who live alone women?
Yes. Among Australians aged 65 and over, 35.1% of women live alone compared with 19.0% of men (ABS SDAC, 2022), reflecting women's longer life expectancy.
What is a 'long lie' and why is it dangerous?
A 'long lie' is being unable to get up for more than one hour after a fall. It is dangerous because prolonged time on the floor causes dehydration, pressure injuries, muscle breakdown, pneumonia and hypothermia, complications that can be more lethal than the fall itself. About half of long-lie cases in older people die within six months (peer-reviewed cohort; Age UK).
How long can an older Australian lie undiscovered after a fall?
It depends entirely on whether someone notices. The verified risk is that about 50% of older people who lie on the floor for more than an hour die within six months (peer-reviewed cohort; Age UK). For someone living alone, discovery time can stretch from hours to more than a day.
Why are falls more dangerous for someone living alone?
Because outcome depends on discovery time. With 53% of serious falls happening at home (AIHW) and a quarter of older Australians living alone (ABS), many falls occur with no one present, and the long-lie data shows that delay sharply raises the risk of death.
Does a personal alarm actually prevent falls?
No device prevents a fall. A personal alarm or pendant only helps after a fall, and only if the wearer is conscious, wearing it, and able to press the button. Its value is in shortening discovery time, not in stopping the fall.
What is the difference between a personal alarm and a daily check-in app?
A personal alarm requires the person to actively press a button during the emergency. A daily check-in works the opposite way: the person taps once a day to confirm they are okay, and if that tap is missed, family are alerted automatically, so it can catch situations where the person is unconscious or not wearing a pendant.
How do falls in Australia compare with the US, UK and Canada?
Falls are the leading injury threat to older adults in all four. Australia and Canada report a share-of-injury headline (falls as ~77% and ~85% of injury hospitalisations respectively), while the US and UK report a fall-incidence headline (about 1 in 4 US adults 65+ and about 1 in 3 UK adults 65+ fall each year).
What number do you call for an emergency in Australia?
Triple Zero (000) is the emergency number in Australia for ambulance, fire and police. For non-urgent health advice, healthdirect (1800 022 222) is available. A check-in app complements, but never replaces, calling 000.
How can a daily check-in help families of an older Australian living alone?
It turns 'no one noticed for hours' into same-day awareness. If a parent misses their once-a-day check-in, the app alerts a chosen family member and runs an escalation chain, so the gap between a fall and a family response is measured in hours rather than the days the long-lie data warns about.
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