Most dangerous sports in Australia

Cycling has the highest number of injuries but motor sports and roller sports are among the most dangerous.

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Cameron Thach's headshot

By

Nicola Middlemiss

&

Cameron Thach

Updated

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Australia may be a nation of sports lovers, but as we all know, taking part doesn't come without risks. In fact, research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) found that 56,000 Aussies are hospitalised each year due to sports injuries, according to the latest data.

So what sports are the most dangerous? We've put together a table below.

Which sports cause the most injuries in Australia?

The table shows the top 10 sports that cause the most serious injuries in Australia.

The number of cases represents how many people stayed at least one night in hospital for treatment. Each sport has been ranked according to the total number of cases. We've split the table to show the separate data for emergencies and elective treatment, to give a more accurate representation of the risks in each sport.

RankSportsEmergencySportsElective
1Cycling7,036Australian Rules Football1,802
2Wheeled and motor sports3,241Soccer1,675
3Roller sports3,041Cycling1,472
4Australian Rules Football2,454Other & unspecified football1,245
5Rugby2,048Rugby1,242
6Soccer2,004Basketball1,032
7Equestrian activities1,996Roller sports1,030
8Recreational Walking1,931Netball763
9Basketball1,322Wheeled motor sports541
10Other & unspecified football1,074Combat sports458

*Figures represent patients who have stayed at least 1 night in hospital following a sports injury across 2021-22.

Which types of sport are the most dangerous?

Different sports often involve similar movements, which come with comparable risks. By putting these sports into groups, we can figure out which categories have been the most dangerous for Australians.

The number of injuries in each category won't always tell you how dangerous it is overall, however. This is because more people regularly participate in a certain type of sport, increasing the likelihood of injuries simply because of the larger number.

It's more effective to look at the injury rate of participants instead. We've taken a look at the number of injuries and the injury rate across different sports in Australia to give a clearer picture of the 10 most dangerous categories.

RiskiestSport categoryNumber of casesRate of injury
1Outdoor team698,00026%
2Combat132,00016%
3Indoor team310,00015%
4Motor related46,00015%
5Horse related42,00015%
6Lifestyle action180,00012%
7Winter sports39,00011%
8Lifestyle cardio110,00010%
9Mainstream cardio1,051,0007%
10Individual ball games222,0007%

*Figures represent sport-related injuries from respondents from 1 January to 31 December 2022.

Which sports injuries are most common?

Fractures are by far the most common sports injury in Australia, accounting for over half of all sports injuries in both men and women. The table below gives a breakdown of some of the most common sports injuries. Toggle through to see how they differ between men and women.

InjuryNumber of cases% of cases
Fracture29,91353.30%
Soft-tissue injury9,29116.60%
Intracranial injury2,9285.20%
Open wound4,3637.60%
Dislocation2,2484.00%
Superficial injury1,7253.10%
Internal organ or vessel of trunk9351.70%
Poisoning or toxic effect1360.20%
Burn1340.20%
InjuryNumber of cases% of all cases
Fracture20,77052.60%
Soft-tissue injury6,56316.60%
Intracranial injury2,0555.20%
Open wound3,3198.40%
Dislocation1,7454.40%
Superficial injury1,1883.00%
Internal organ or vessel of trunk7932.00%
Burn710.20%
Poisoning or toxic effect980.20%
InjuryNumber of cases% of all cases
Fracture9,14155.10%
Soft-tissue injury2,72716.5%
Intracranial injury8725.3%
Open wound1,0446.3%
Superficial injury5033.00%
Dislocation5373.2%
Internal organ or vessel of trunk1420.9%
Poisoning or toxic effect650.40%
Burn360.20%
*Figures represent overnight hospitalised patients in 2021–2022.

Which body parts are most likely to be hurt?

Most serious sporting injuries are related to the hip and lower limb, excluding the ankle and foot. The table below shows a breakdown of which body parts Aussies frequently injure while playing sports.

Body partNumber of cases% of cases
Hip and lower limb15,48827.6%
Shoulder and upper limb14,60126.0%
Head and neck10,04717.9%
Wrist and hand7,01312.5%
Trunk5,61510.0%
Ankle and foot2,4674.4%
Body partNumber of cases% of all cases
Hip and lower limb10,43618.6%
Shoulder and upper limb10,03617.9%
Head and neck7,20212.8%
Wrist and hand5,4229.7%
Trunk4,0667.3%
Ankle and foot17593.1%
Body partNumber of cases% of all cases
Hip and lower limb5,0509.0%
Shoulder and upper limb4,0808.1%
Head and neck3,0045.1%
Trunk1,6322.8%
Wrist and hand1,4432.8%
Ankle and foot5451.3%
*Figures represent overnight hospital patients in 2021–2022.

Who is most likely to be injured while playing sport?

Men aged 25–44 are most likely to be hospitalised due to a sports injury in Australia. The table below shows a breakdown of which age groups sustain the most injuries, as well as the number of injuries per 100,000 participants.

Use the tabs at the top of the table to see how the statistics vary between the general population, men and women.

AgeCasesRate per 100,000 participants
0–1411,637376.7
15–2414,802342,7
25–4416,879471.9
45–648,543231.5
65+4,208135.8
AgeCasesRate per 100,000 participants
0–148,332521.1
15–2411,155689.5
25–4412,291338.7
45–645,482177.3
65+2,230109.0
AgeCasesRate per 100,000 participants
0–143,303155.9
15–243,646240.0
25–444,587125.2
45–643,06195.7
65+1,97885.0
*Figures represent overnight hospital patients in 2021–2022.

How often do sports lead to concussions?

There's a growing concern in Australia and internationally about the amount of sport-related concussions. According to research by the AIHW, there were almost 2,300 hospitalisations for concussions caused by sports between 2021 and 2022. Around 1,600 of these were in males, and 700 were in females.

While the short-term symptoms can be reversible, a single knock to the head can have serious consequences in later life. As well as mental health and, in some cases, financial issues, this has led to many Australians not being able to participate in their sport, attend school or have to take time off work.

Remember, the data used in this article only reflects sports injuries that required an overnight stay in the hospital. It's likely there are many thousands more cases of who were discharged within a day or that only required a doctor's appointment, but many still have kept people off work.

How can income protection insurance help?

Income protection insurance is designed to pay you a portion of your typical earnings if you're ever too sick or injured to work. For people who play sport regularly, that could mean a financial safety net in case you're hit by a bad tackle, take a tumble on the pitch or get knocked off your bike.

Remember, though, some more dangerous sports, like motor racing, may not be covered, and waiting periods may apply.

What about sports injuries and kids?

According to the AIHW, around 21% of children are hospitalised due to sports, exercise, or recreational activity. In 2021-22 this accounted for 18,700 total hospitalisations.

  • Over 1 in 3 injury hospitalisations for children aged 10-12 and 13-15 involved sports.
  • Cycling (16%) caused the highest number of hospitalisations across all age groups outside of adolescents, with 3000 cases.
  • Roller sports (16%) was second, and 1800 cases.
  • Australian Rules Football was third (9%), with 1750 cases.

Adolescents aged 16-18 typically have the highest rates of sports injury hospitalisations. However, they also have the highest rates of sports participation. In 2021-22, Australian Rules Football (14%), Rugby codes (13%), and Soccer (9%) were the leading causes of hospitalisations for adolescents.

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Senior writer

Nicola Middlemiss is a contributing writer at Finder, with a special interest in personal finance and insurance. Formerly a business and finance journalist, Nicola has written thousands of articles helping Australians better understand insurance and grow their personal wealth. She has contributed to a wide range of publications, including Domain, the Educator, Financy, Fundraising and Philanthropy, Insurance Business, MoneyMag, Mortgage Professional, Yahoo Finance, Your Investment Property, and Wealth Professional. Nicola has a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Leeds. See full bio

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Nicola has written 241 Finder guides across topics including:
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Insurance Content Writer

Cameron is the local insurance scholar at Finder. With a diverse background writing in independent education, web-3, and finance, his mission is to build helpful content and that speaks to readers in language they understand. See full bio

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