The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the age-adjusted death rate from falls among adults 65 and older rose 21 percent between 2018 and 2024, from 64.7 to 78.4 deaths per 100,000. The same page says that over 14 million older adults, or 1 in 4, report falling each year, and that falls are the leading cause of injury in this age group. Data come from the National Vital Statistics System and the agency's WISQARS injury database, and the latest year is 2024.
An age-adjusted rate answers a narrower question than a crude rate. A crude rate divides deaths by population. If a population is aging, with more people in their late 80s and 90s who are more likely to die from a fall, the crude rate can rise even if the risk for any given age stays the same. Age adjustment recalculates each year as though the population had the same age distribution, so the change shows how risk shifted and not how the population shifted.
The distinction matters for reading the 21 percent. Because the figure is age-adjusted, it cannot be explained by older adults simply being older on average within the 65-plus group, using a common age distribution. The age adjustment does not establish what caused the increase.
The CDC points to prevention measures: screening for fall risk, addressing risks from medications, and improving strength and balance, and it directs readers to its STEADI program for clinicians.
The rate uses the population of older adults as its denominator, not the number of people who fell. It cannot tell a family whether a particular fall is minor. For practical prevention, discuss strength, balance, medicines and home hazards together rather than assuming falls are unavoidable.
