Causes of injury and death revealed

Falls are the leading cause of hospitalisation and death in Australia, and seniors are the most common age group affected. 

Transport, assault, and accidental poisoning are other leading causes of injury hospitalisations and deaths, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 

A recent update to the report, Injury in Australia 2022–23, presents the latest injury-related hospitalisations (2022–23) and deaths (2021–22). It includes trends over the preceding decade and local area information regarding four major external causes of injury.

The AIHW says data examined for mortality varies by year due to being updated and released one year later than hospitalisations. 

“This ongoing work monitors trends in injuries as a major cause of morbidity, permanent disability and mortality with the aim of informing discussion around injury risk, prevention and management,” AIHW spokesperson Dr Sarah Ahmed said.

Falls have been the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation and fatality in Australia over the past decade and across most regions. They accounted for: 

• 238,055 hospitalisations in 2022–23, accounting for more than two in five (43.4%) of all injury hospitalisations. 

• More than two in five (6,378) injury deaths in 2021–22, with rates increasing due to age.

Falls were most common among those aged 75+ (46% of reported cases) followed by those under 15 (10%), with most injuries happening at home. 

Slips, trips, and stumbles were the most frequent cause with 74,399 cases in 2022–23, however hospitalisations patterns varied by season and the type of falls.

While falls were the leading cause of injury hospitalisations and deaths for both sexes, females were more likely to be hospitalised for falls than males.

Transport was another leading cause of injury hospitalisation in 2022–23, resulting in around 61,200 hospitalisations. Seniors were not a leading age group in this category.

Cars were most frequently involved in both transport-related injury hospitalisations (over 20,000 cases) and deaths (over 720 fatalities).

Transport-related injuries resulted in 1,500 deaths in 2021–22 and were most common among males (1,148 deaths). 

The good news is that across types of transport, age groups, and sexes, injury rates generally decreased over the past decade.

Assault resulted in 20,490 hospitalisations in 2022–23 and 218 homicides in 2021–22, with people aged 25–44 most likely to be affected. 

While males were the most common perpetrators across all assault types, the patterns of assault-injury hospitalisations differed based on who was assaulted and the nature of the assault.