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Provisional figures show 7,810 people died following accidental falls in the Netherlands in 2025, with older people accounting for most deaths.
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Statistics Netherlands (CBS) recorded 7,810 deaths following accidental falls in 2025, up 480 on the previous year. Falls were the most common cause of non-natural death in the country. The 2025 figures are provisional. [1]
The count includes people who died within 30 days of accidentally falling, tripping or slipping. Fatal falls involving a bicycle or mobility scooter are classified as transport accidents instead. [1]
Older people accounted for most deaths: 79% of those who died were aged 80 or over, while just 2% were under 60. CBS says the death rate from falls has risen each year for the past 15 years, even after allowing for population growth and ageing. Among women aged 90 or over, 2.1% died following an accidental fall in 2025, compared with 1.0% in 2016. [1]
The latest figures for long-term care cover 2024. About 5,000 of the roughly 7,300 people who died following a fall that year received care under the Netherlands’ Long-term Care Act. A fall was the cause of death for 7.7% of people who died in institutions providing that care. [1]
Over the five years from 2021 to 2025, a greater share of these deaths occurred in winter than in summer among both men and women. The pattern did not apply to every age group: among people under 50, CBS recorded 88 deaths in summer and 61 in winter. [1]
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