The World Health Organization has published a Fragility Fractures fact sheet which includes impactful statistics that show the immense burden of fractures (broken bones) worldwide. 

Fractures are a global public health concern and are associated with significant morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs.

• In 2019, there were 178 million new fractures globally, an increase of 33.4% of the absolute number of new fractures since 1990
• Fractures accounted for 25.8 million years lived with disability (YLDs) in 2019, an increase of 65.3% of the absolute YLDs since 1990
• The same year, there were 455 million prevalent cases of acute or long-term symptoms of a fracture, an increase of 70.1% of the absolute prevalence since 1990

Owing to global population growth and ageing, the annual incidence and societal burden of total fractures worldwide is expected to continue to increase, driven by fragility fractures - broken bones that result from low-energy trauma (a mechanical force that would not ordinarily cause a fracture), such as a fall from standing height or less. These fractures are the main clinical consequence of osteoporosis, although they may occur in postmenopausal women even in the absence of osteoporosis.

An important take-home message of the fact sheet is that an individual’s risk of fragility fracture can be predicted, and these fractures are preventable using effective interventions.  

Read more: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/fragility-fractures