Falls leading to more deaths in adults ages 65 years and older, CDC says
Rates of unintentional fall deaths increased for all older adult age groups between 2003 and 2023 and were highest among those ages 85 years and older.
Mortality from falls is increasing among seniors, according to a data brief from the CDC.
Rates of unintentional fall deaths increased between 2003 and 2023 for men and women in all age ranges studied, according to the June data brief. For those ages 65 to 74 years, the rate for men increased from 14.3 per 100,000 population in 2003 to 24.7 per 100,000 in 2023; for women, it increased from 8.3 to 14.2 per 100,000. The greatest increases were among adults ages 85 years and older, who saw more than a doubling (from 178.3 to 373.3 per 100,000 in men and from 128.5 to 319.7 per 100,000 in women). By 2023, the unintentional fall death rate for adults ages 65 years and older overall was 69.9 per 100,000 population.
Over the whole period, fall mortality for adults ages 65 years and older was higher for men (74.2 per 100,000) compared to women (66.3 per 100,000). By race, the highest fall mortality rates among people ages 65 to 74 years, ages 75 to 84 years, and ages 85 years and older were among White people. Among adults ages 65 to 74 years, Asian people had the lowest rates, although the difference between Hispanic and Asian people was not statistically significant. For adults ages 75 to 84 years and ages 85 years and older, Black people had the lowest rates.
Rates varied widely across the United States: Wisconsin had the highest rate (158.4 per 100,000), five times greater than Alabama (29.5 per 100,000), which had the lowest rate.