Over 19 Dutch died per day after falling due to a stumble or slip last year

More and more people are dying from tripping or slipping. Last year, almost 7,000 people died after a fall, an average of over 19 people per day. That is almost 12 percent more than in 2022. In less than ten years, the number of deaths from an accidental fall has doubled.

According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the percentage of deaths from such a fall is increasing mainly in two groups: people aged 90 and over and people getting treatment in care institutions for conditions like dementia. More women than men die in this way. People who die from a fall on a bicycle, for example, are not included in the figures.

According to CBS, a fatal fall is by far the most common non-natural cause of death in the Netherlands. The number of deaths from a fall is more than twice as high as the number of deaths from suicide, traffic accidents, poisoning, drowning, murder, and manslaughter combined.

About half of the people who died suffered a broken hip due to the fall. A quarter suffered head injuries.

The number of elderly people in the Netherlands has been increasing for years. The Netherlands has an aging population, which means there are also more people who could die from a fall.

But even taking this into account and correcting the figures for it, the number of deaths due to a fall is increasing rapidly. In 2011, 18 out of every 100,000 people died from a fatal fall. Last year, it was over 39 people per 100,000 Dutch. The number has more than doubled.