Trends in injury deaths in the United States, Canada, and Australia from 2000 – 2014

Trends in injury deaths in the United States, Canada, and Australia from 2000 – 2014

CDC released a new study that looks at trends in injury deaths in the United States, Canada, and Australia from 2000 – 2014. The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, compared trends for five major causes of injury-related deaths (falls, motor vehicle traffic, homicides, suicides and unintentional poisoning). Researchers found significant differences and similarities, in injury-related deaths between the three countries and within each country over time. These trends differed across the five causes of injury-related deaths the researchers examined.

Key Findings

• Overall trends in four major causes of injury-related deaths differed across the United States, Canada, and Australia.
• Rates of motor vehicle traffic deaths and homicides in the United States fell from 2000-2014 but remained higher than in Canada and Australia.
• The suicide rate in the United States was the lowest of the three countries in 2000 but rose 24% between 2000 and 2014. By 2012, the rate was 14% higher than Australia and Canada.
• Rates of unintentional poisoning deaths in the United States rose nearly 190% from 2000-2014, while rates in Canada and Australia rose modestly or remained the same.
• Death rates from falls rose across all three countries from 2000-2014.
• Societal level factors may be driving the differences in injury-related death rates across the three countries.
• More research is needed to identify these underlying and contributing factors, as well as potential strategies to address them.

Learn More

• Read the article in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.
• Visit the CDC Injury Center web site for information about injury prevention and control.