The number of people who died as a result of a fall has more than doubled over the last ten years, particularly among the elderly, an analysis of causes of death by the national statistics agency CBS has shown.

In 2022, 6,200 people died within 30 days of a fall, a rise of 15% compared to the year before.

The increase was most marked among people over 90 and dementia sufferers, the CBS said.

Some 43% of people who died from a fall were in their eighties and some 36% were 90 or older. The average age at which women succumbed to injuries sustained by a fall was 82, three years more than for men.

Accidental falls were the most common non-natural cause of death in 2022, followed by death by suicide (1,900) and traffic deaths (772). Some 3.7% of all deaths in the Netherlands were caused by falls, translating to 17 fatal incidents a day.