Senior Fall Statistics in Canada (2026)

Key Canadian senior fall statistics

Source and scope for every figure are documented in the sections below.^{[1], [2], [3], [6]}

Canadian senior falls: the data snapshot

There is no single database that counts every fall experienced by every older Canadian. Death certificates, hospital records, emergency department records and household surveys each capture a different part of the problem. The cleanest comparison is therefore a source map—not one blended total.

How common are falls among Canadian seniors?

The best national self-reported estimate is about 350,000 older adults, or 5.8% of the household population age 65 and older, reporting a serious fall-related injury during the previous 12 months in the 2017–18 Canadian Community Health Survey.^[2]

This is an injury statistic, not the percentage of older adults who fell at all. The survey counted an injury only when it was serious enough to limit normal activities the day after it occurred, and it collected details only about the respondent’s most serious injury. It excluded people living in institutions, including residential care. Falls without a qualifying injury were not included.

Among respondents, the prevalence was 6.5% for women and 5.0% for men. PHAC also found a higher prevalence among older age groups and people living alone. These are associations in cross-sectional survey data; they do not establish that any single characteristic caused a fall.^[2]

Deaths due to falls among Canadians age 65+

Falls caused 7,621 deaths among Canadians age 65 and older in 2022, according to PHAC’s November 2025 national data update. Women accounted for 4,349 deaths and men for 3,272.^[1]

Age is the clearest pattern in the mortality data. The reported death rate rose from 15.0 per 100,000 men and 9.7 per 100,000 women at ages 65–69 to 913.5 and 864.7, respectively, at age 90 and older. That is a rate increase of more than fiftyfold across those age groups.

Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Vital Statistics–Death Database, as reported by PHAC. Sex categories and rates are reproduced as published.^[1]

Did deaths from falls increase?

Yes. PHAC reports that deaths due to falls among adults age 65 and older increased 51% between 2017 and 2022, from 4,752 to 7,182 in its trend series. That series excludes Yukon.^[1]

A higher death count can reflect population growth, a larger share of people in the oldest age groups, changes in fall risk and other factors. Counts alone cannot show how much each factor contributed. PHAC’s earlier surveillance work found that both crude and age-standardized fall mortality rates increased from 2001 to 2019, indicating that population aging was not the only influence during that earlier period.^[2]

Fall-related hospitalizations in Canada

There were 81,599 fall-related hospitalizations among adults age 65 and older in 2023/24. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) hospitalization database used for this estimate excludes Quebec, so it is not a complete all-province count.^{[4], [6]}

Women accounted for 51,585 hospitalizations—nearly two-thirds of the total—while men accounted for 30,014. Rates increased at each successive age group and were consistently higher among women.

Source: CIHI Discharge Abstract Database, as analyzed by PHAC. Figures exclude Quebec and use episodes of care rather than simply counting every transfer as a new case. Rates are rounded to one decimal here.^[6]

Share of injury hospitalizations and hip fractures

For 2022/23, PHAC’s current data blog reports 78,076 fall-related hospitalizations. Falls represented 89% of all injury-related hospitalizations in this age group, and 34%, or 26,848 hospitalizations, involved a hip fracture. PHAC’s detailed surveillance report also found that hospital stays involving a hip fracture averaged about three days longer than fall hospitalizations without one.^{[1], [2]}

Hospitalization counts grew, while long-term rates were broadly stable

From 2010/11 to 2023/24, the number of fall-related hospitalizations rose 53%, from 53,347 to 81,599. The crude rate in 2023/24 was 14.1 per 1,000 older adults. PHAC’s peer-reviewed analysis found that the overall long-term trend in hospitalization rates did not increase, despite year-to-year changes and a pandemic-era dip. The growing count is therefore likely driven largely by the aging population. A larger count should not automatically be described as a higher individual risk.^[6]

Fall-related emergency department visits

CIHI recorded 212,570 fall-related emergency department visits among adults age 65 and older in Ontario and Alberta in 2023/24. Women accounted for 134,359 visits and men for 78,211.^{[5], [6]}

This should always be labelled as a two-province figure. It is substantial, but it is not an estimate for all of Canada.

Source: CIHI National Ambulatory Care Reporting System, as analyzed by PHAC. Coverage is Ontario and Alberta only. Rates are rounded to one decimal here.^[6]

How injurious falls happen—and what they injure

The 2017–18 household survey gives context that hospital and death records cannot: what people were doing, what part of the body was hurt and whether they sought care. These figures refer only to each respondent’s most serious fall-related injury.

Source: 2017–18 Canadian Community Health Survey, household population age 65+, as analyzed by PHAC.^[2]

Walking accounts for the largest share because it includes many environments and is a frequent daily activity. The figures do not prove that walking itself is unusually dangerous. They do show why prevention has to address both personal factors—such as strength, balance, vision and medication effects—and environmental factors such as lighting, ice, clutter, railings and bathroom supports.

The cost and health-system burden of senior falls

Falls among Canadians age 65 and older generated an estimated $5.6 billion in direct costs in 2018. Parachute’s Cost of Injury in Canada report estimates that falls across all ages cost $10.3 billion in that year, making falls the country’s costliest injury cause. The $5.6 billion figure is historical and should be cited as a 2018 estimate, not as a current-dollar amount.^[3]

Fall admissions also use more hospital time. PHAC’s latest summary says fall-related stays for adults over 65 typically last nine days longer than an average hospital stay. The underlying surveillance analysis separated that difference into an additional 5.2 days in acute care and 4.1 days at alternate level of care during the study period.^{[1], [2]}

Fall prevention and safer aging at home

PHAC is clear that falls can be prevented, but prevention is rarely one product or one change. A useful plan considers mobility and balance, strength, vision, medications, footwear, nutrition, sleep, home hazards and the activities a person performs every day. A healthcare professional can help assess personal risks; an occupational therapist can assess how the home environment and daily routines interact with them.

When home accessibility equipment may help

Equipment should respond to a specific need identified in the person and the home. Where stairs are a recurring barrier, families can learn how stair lifts compare in Canada. Where bathing access is the problem, our walk-in tub guide explains features and trade-offs. For multi-level homes where a lift is being considered, see our comparison of Canadian home elevator options.

These devices do not remove every fall risk. Medical alerts are designed to help someone summon assistance after an incident; they do not prevent a fall, and automatic fall detection cannot identify every event. Stair lifts, tubs and elevators also require appropriate selection, installation and safe use.

Methodology, definitions and limitations

This page prioritizes original Canadian sources and preserves their published scope. PHAC’s current data blog supplies the revised 2022 mortality table and 2022/23 hospitalization measures such as the 89% injury share and hip-fracture count. PHAC’s peer-reviewed 2024 analysis supplies the newer 2023/24 hospitalization and emergency-visit totals and age breakdowns. Its detailed 2022 surveillance report supplies survey definitions and additional context. Parachute supplies the 2018 cost estimate.

How we calculated and checked the page

• Counts and rates in the age-and-sex tables are transcribed from PHAC’s accessible figure descriptions.
• The total 2022 death count equals the published sex totals: 3,272 men plus 4,349 women.
• The 2023/24 hospitalization total equals 30,014 men plus 51,585 women.
• The 2023/24 Ontario-and-Alberta emergency total equals 78,211 men plus 134,359 women.
• No national total was estimated from partial-province data.
• No inflation adjustment was applied to the 2018 cost estimate.