2023 Unintentional Fall Death Rate Was 69.9/100,000 in Those Aged 65 and Older

WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For adults aged 65 years and older, the unintentional fall death rate was 69.9 per 100,000 population in 2023 and increased with increasing age, according to a June data brief published by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Matthew F. Garnett, M.P.H., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues used data from the National Vital Statistics System to identify older adult fall death rates as well as trends starting from 2003.

The researchers found that the unintentional fall death rate for adults aged 65 years and older was 69.9 per 100,000 population in 2023, with rates increasing for men and women with increasing age. The unintentional fall death rate was higher for men than women overall (74.2 versus 66.3) and for each age group. The highest rate of unintentional fall deaths among adults aged 85 years and older was seen for White non-Hispanics, while Black non-Hispanics had the lowest rate compared with other race and Hispanic origin groups. Between 2003 and 2023, rates of unintentional fall deaths increased for men and women aged 65 to 74, 75 to 84, and 85 years and older. For adults aged 65 years and older, the rates of unintentional fall deaths varied across states, from 29.5 in Alabama to 158.4 in Wisconsin.

“Both men and women experienced increasing rates in this period, although at varying rates of change,” the authors write.

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