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Bone Fractures

Overview

Calcium comprises 1-2% of total body weight, with nearly all calcium concentrated in teeth and bones. The skeleton functions as the body’s primary calcium reservoir, directly linked to dietary calcium intake and absorption efficiency. Bone fractures represent a significant global public health challenge and are a major cause of disability worldwide. Although age-standardized fracture incidence rates have declined in recent decades, the absolute number of fractures continues to rise due to the increasing age of the global population, creating an expanding burden on healthcare systems.

Data Source

This visualization presents country-level estimates from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease study conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Bone fracture data are displayed as incidence rates per 100,000 population, providing standardized measurements that enable direct comparison across regions and countries. The dataset encompasses all fractures regardless of cause, age, or sex.

Download the Data

Strategic Applications

This map identifies regions with the highest bone fracture incidence rates, serving as an important planning tool for public health interventions. When analyzed alongside calcium intake data and other calcium-related health outcomes, this visualization helps pinpoint areas where population-level calcium interventions could potentially reduce fracture risk. Such interventions might include large-scale food fortification programs or targeted supplementation strategies for high-risk populations, particularly in regions where both fracture rates and calcium deficiency converge.

Further Reading

  • Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). GBD Results. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021. Seattle, WA: IHME, University of Washington, 2023. Access interactive data
  • Wu, A. M., Bisignano, C., James, S. L., Abady, G. G., Abedi, A., Abu-Gharbieh, E., … & Vos, T. (2021). Global, regional, and national burden of bone fractures in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Healthy Longevity, 2(9), e580-e592. View article
  • Shlisky, J., Mandlik, R., Askari, S., Abrams, S., Belizan, J. M., Bourassa, M. W., … & Weaver, C. (2022). Calcium deficiency worldwide: prevalence of inadequate intakes and associated health outcomes. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1512(1), 10-28. View article

Last updated: 8/1/25