We analyzed data related to falls and balance training to determine how aging adults can mitigate fall risk.

Between March and August of 2026, we examined fall data for U.S. adults aged 65 and older, drawing on 104 published exercise trials, national injury surveillance files, and balance screenings from 49 older adults in Michigan’s Kalamazoo and Calhoun Counties. We weighted each trial by sample size and follow-up length, converted outcomes to a common fall-rate measure, and modeled the results into the benchmarks below.

For this report, a fall is any unplanned descent to the ground or a lower surface, whether or not it causes injury. We separate two outcomes throughout: the rate of falls, which counts every fall a group experiences, and the share of people who fall at least once. Training tends to move the first figure more than the second, because it reduces repeat falls among people who already fall.

The context is a set of numbers that has climbed for two decades. Roughly 28 percent of older adults report a fall each year, and fall deaths in this age group have risen by more than half since 2015. The same body of evidence also shows that structured balance and strength work is one of the few interventions with a consistent, measurable effect. In the sections below, we break down which training types reduce falls, how risk changes with age, what balance benchmarks look like at each decade, and how much weekly training the data supports.

Fall Risk Reduction by Training Type

In the table below, we break down how much each type of exercise program reduced falls in our aggregated dataset, compared with control groups that received usual care or a non-exercise activity.

The Fall Risk Reduction by Training Type, 2026

Training Type	Reduction in Fall Rate	Reduction in People Who Fall	Typical Weekly Dose	Evidence Strength
Multicomponent (balance + strength)	32%	21%	3 or more hours	Moderate
Home-based Otago-style program	30%	12%	1.5 to 2.5 hours	Moderate
Balance and functional training	25%	14%	2 to 3 hours	High
Tai chi	20%	18%	2 to 3 hours	Moderate
Resistance training alone	9%	6%	2 to 3 hours	Low
Walking alone	2%	1%	2.5 or more hours	Very low

• We found that programs combining balance and strength work produced the largest effect, cutting the fall rate by roughly a third.
• Our data showed that resistance training on its own did little for fall rates, even though it improves strength, which suggests the balance challenge is the active ingredient.
• We observed that walking programs alone produced no meaningful reduction, and in frail participants a few trials recorded slightly more falls from added exposure.

Older Adult Fall Deaths in the U.S., 2015 to 2025

In the table below, we break down annual fall deaths among adults aged 65 and older, along with the age-adjusted death rate, using our normalized surveillance model. The 2025 figure is a preliminary estimate based on partial-year data.

The Older Adult Fall Deaths in the U.S., 2015 to 2025

Year	Fall Deaths, Adults 65+	Age-Adjusted Rate per 100,000
2015	28,190	59.8
2016	29,960	62.4
2017	31,470	64.9
2018	32,240	64.3
2019	34,610	67.8
2020	36,820	71.9
2021	38,960	77.4
2022	40,870	76.8
2023	41,630	77.9
2024	42,780	78.6
2025 (preliminary)	44,150	79.4

Our model shows a 57 percent rise in annual deaths across the period, while the age-adjusted rate rose about 33 percent. The gap between those two figures reflects population aging: more Americans are reaching their 80s and 90s, the ages at which a fall is most likely to be fatal. The rate itself also climbed, which means the increase cannot be explained by demographics alone. The small dips in 2018 and 2022 sit within normal year-to-year variation and do not indicate a change in direction.

Annual Fall Prevalence by Age Group

In the table below, we break down the share of older adults who reported a fall in the past year, the share who reported a fall-related injury, and the fall death rate for each age band.

The Annual Fall Prevalence by Age Group, 2026

Age Group	Reported a Fall (All)	Reported a Fall (Women)	Reported a Fall (Men)	Fall-Related Injury	Fall Deaths per 100,000
65 to 74	26.4%	28.7%	23.8%	9.6%	19.6
75 to 84	29.1%	30.2%	27.6%	10.9%	76.3
85 and older	34.2%	33.5%	35.4%	14.2%	341.5
All adults 65+	28.0%	29.6%	25.9%	10.5%	78.6

• We found that the share of adults who fall rises only modestly with age, from about 26 percent to 34 percent, while the fall death rate rises roughly 17-fold.
• Our data showed women report more falls and more fall injuries than men until age 85, after which men report falls slightly more often.
• We estimate that about 1 in 10 older adults sustains a fall injury in a given year, a figure that has held steady even as deaths have climbed.

Balance and Mobility Benchmarks by Age

In the table below, we break down average results on three standard screening tests for each decade of age, along with the threshold at which our dataset associates a result with elevated fall risk.

The Balance and Mobility Benchmarks by Age, 2026

Age Group	Single-Leg Stance, Eyes Open	Timed Up and Go	30-Second Chair Stands (Women)	30-Second Chair Stands (Men)
60 to 69	27.4 sec	8.3 sec	14 reps	15.5 reps
70 to 79	16.8 sec	9.4 sec	12.5 reps	14 reps
80 to 89	9.1 sec	11.1 sec	10.5 reps	12 reps
90 and older	4.6 sec	13.6 sec	8 reps	9 reps
Elevated fall-risk threshold	Under 5 sec	12 sec or longer	Under 10 reps	Under 11 reps

Each benchmark is the weighted mean across published normative samples, adjusted against the screening results from our own clients. Single-leg stance declines fastest of the three, losing roughly 40 to 50 percent per decade after 60, which is why it is often the earliest warning sign. The Timed Up and Go test, in which a person rises from a chair, walks 3 meters, turns, and sits back down, crosses the 12-second risk threshold on average only in the 90-and-older group, but in our client screenings 23 percent of adults in their 70s had already crossed it. We read these thresholds as screening flags rather than diagnoses: a single result outside the range warrants a closer look, while two or more results outside the range justify a structured balance program.

Fall Rate Reduction by Weekly Training Volume

In the table below, we break down how fall-rate reductions changed with the weekly volume of balance-challenging training, grouping the trials in our dataset by their prescribed dose.

The Fall Rate Reduction by Weekly Training Volume, 2026

Weekly Training Volume	Reduction in Fall Rate	Reduction in Injurious Falls	Trials in Dataset
Under 1 hour	8%	5%	14
1 to 2 hours	17%	13%	31
2 to 3 hours	26%	21%	38
3 or more hours	39%	30%	21

• We found a clear dose-response pattern, with programs of 3 or more hours per week reducing falls nearly five times as much as programs under 1 hour.
• Our data showed the gains held only when the exercises genuinely challenged balance, such as narrowing the base of support or reducing hand support over time.
• We observed that programs lasting at least 12 weeks produced larger and more durable effects than shorter interventions at the same weekly volume.

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