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. 2025 Jul 30:13:1627867.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1627867. eCollection 2025.

Global epidemiology, burden, and causes of lower extremity and pelvic fractures in the past 32 years

Cun Li  1 , Qingyun Lin  2
Affiliations

Global epidemiology, burden, and causes of lower extremity and pelvic fractures in the past 32 years

Cun Li et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Lower extremity and pelvic fractures (LEPFs) are common and debilitating injuries with substantial global health and economic burden, yet comprehensive epidemiological data remain limited.

Methods: Based on Global Burden of Disease 2021, we analyzed incidence, years lived with disability (YLDs), and causes of LEPFs across 204 countries from 1990 to 2021, along with their temporal trends. The impact of age, sex and Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) was considered.

Results: In 2021, 78.05 million new LEPF cases were reported globally, a 32% increase since 1990. Despite this, the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) declined annually by 0.68%, reaching 974.98 per 100,000 population in 2021. For anatomic subtypes, fractures of the patella, tibia or fibula, or ankle were most common (34.96 million), while hip fractures showed the largest increase for incident cases (126%) and a significant rising ASIR among males (0.21% annually). Conflict-affected countries in the Middle East and Africa saw the sharpest rises in LEPF burden. SDI correlated with elevated ASIR and age-standardized YLD rates (ASYR), particularly at SDI > 0.7. Falls were the leading cause, followed by road injuries. YLDs peaked among adults aged 45-60, with ASYR rising sharply in older populations. The disability burden increased during COVID-19 pandemic, exposing vulnerabilities in global fracture care systems.

Conclusion: LEPFs remain a significant public health challenge, driven by population aging, regional instability and osteoporosis. Hip fractures in males and LEPFs in conflict zones demand urgent attention. Strengthening fall prevention, implementing comprehensive osteoporosis management including sex-inclusive approaches, and targeted prevention strategies is essential to mitigating the global burden of LEPFs.

Keywords: GBD 2021; disease burden; epidemiology; lower extremity and pelvic fractures; risk factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The number of incident cases and ASIR for total LEPFs and anatomical subtypes by sex, 1990–2021. (A) The number of incident cases. (B) ASIR per 100,000 population. ASIR, age-standardized incidence rate; LEPFs, lower extremity and pelvic fractures.
Figure 2
Figure 2
ASIR for total LEPFs and anatomical subtypes across 204 countries and territories in 2021. (A) The overall LEPFs. (B) Fracture of pelvis. (C) Fracture of hip. (D) Fracture of femur, other than femoral neck. (E) Fracture of patella, tibia or fibula, or ankle. (F) Fracture of foot bones except ankle. ASIR, age-standardized incidence rate; LEPFs, lower extremity and pelvic fractures.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The number of incident cases for total LEPFs and anatomical subtypes by age groups in 2021. (A) The total LEPFs. (B) Fracture of pelvis. (C) Fracture of hip. (D) Fracture of femur, other than femoral neck. (E) Fracture of patella, tibia or fibula, or ankle. (F) Fracture of foot bones except ankle. LEPFs, lower extremity and pelvic fractures.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Top 5 causes of ASIR for total LEPFs and anatomical subtypes globally from 1990 to 2,121. (A) The total LEPFs. (B) Fracture of pelvis. (C) Fracture of hip. (D) Fracture of femur, other than femoral neck. (E) Fracture of patella, tibia or fibula, or ankle. (F) Fracture of foot bones except ankle. ASIR, age-standardized incidence rate; LEPFs, lower extremity and pelvic fractures.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The correlation between SDI and ASIR for total LEPFs and anatomical subtypes across 204 countries and territories. (A) The total LEPFs. (B) Fracture of pelvis. (C) Fracture of hip. (D) Fracture of femur, other than femoral neck. (E) Fracture of patella, tibia or fibula, or ankle. (F) Fracture of foot bones except ankle. ASIR, age-standardized incidence rate; LEPFs, lower extremity and pelvic fractures; SDI, Socio-demographic Index.
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