Australia may be a nation of sports lovers, but we all know taking part doesn't come without its risks. In fact, research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that almost 60,000 over-15s are hospitalised due to a sports injury every year, 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 which cause the most serious injuries in Australia. The number of cases represents how many people stayed overnight in hospital for treatment. We've split the table to show separate data for men and women to give a more accurate representation of how injuries are impacting Aussies.
Rank
Men
Number of cases
Women
Number of cases
1
Cycling
5,062
Equestrian activities
1,873
2
Australian rules football
4,232
Netball
1,582
3
Rugby
4,052
Cycling
1,190
4
Soccer
4,035
Soccer
748
5
Wheeled motor sports
3,451
Skiing, ice skating and snowboarding
697
6
Unspecified football
3,112
Recreational walking
682
7
Basketball
1,940
Roller sports
679
8
Roller sports
1,860
Dancing
570
9
Cricket
1,108
Australian rules football
557
10
Combative sports
958
Basketball
527
*Figures represent overnight hospital patients in 2016–2017
Which sports are most dangerous?
A certain sport can cause more injuries than another, but still be less dangerous. That's because more people may be playing that sport on a regular basis, so there's a greater chance of someone being injured, compared to a less popular sport.
To find out which sports are the most dangerous in Australia, it's better to look at the rate of injuries per 100,000 participants. This gives a better idea of how risky a particular sport is.
Riskiest
Sport
Number of cases
Estimated number of participants
Rate of injury per 100,000 participants
1
Wheeled motor sports
3,091
241,000
1,283
2
Rugby
3,421
289,700
1,181
3
Roller sports
1,730
147,200
1,175
4
Equestrian activities
2,152
205,200
1,049
5
Australian rules football
3,904
502,500
777
6
Skiing, ice skating and snowboarding
1,328
282,200
411
7
Water skiing
411
111,500
369
8
Soccer
3,644
1,129,900
323
9
Hockey
525
214,500
245
10
Basketball
1,761
724,400
243
*Figures represent overnight hospital patients in 2016–2017
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.
*Figures represent overnight hospital patients in 2016–2017
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 are frequently injuring while playing sport.
*Figures represent overnight hospital patients in 2016–2017
Who is most likely to be injured while playing sport?
Men aged 15–24 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.
*Figures represent overnight hospital patients in 2016–2017
How often do sports injuries keep people off work?
Research from Finder suggests that over 2 million people had to take some time off work due to a sporting injury between 2012 and 2017. Half a million were forced to take unpaid time off and 178,000 had to leave the workforce entirely.
Remember, the data used in this article only reflects sports injuries which required an overnight stay in hospital. It's likely there are many thousands more which saw people discharged within a day or which 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 a 2018 study by Macquarie University, around 13,000 children are hospitalised a year with a sports injury. It's estimated that these sports injuries cost the Australian healthcare system around $40 million a year.
Team ball sports are the biggest cause of injury, accounting for 43% of all injuries. Second is cycling (22%). Boys are much more likely to need to go to hospital - they make up 75% of all sports related hospitalisations - and are more likely to be injured while playing team ball sports (49%). Girls though, have higher rates of injuries from horse-riding (13%) and gymnastics (7%).
Why you can trust Finder's life insurance experts
We're free
You pay the same as buying directly from the life insurer. Better still, we regularly run exclusive deals that you won't find on any other site – plus, our tables make it easy to compare policies.
We're experts
Our team of life insurance experts have researched and rated dozens of policies as part of our Finder Awards and published 250+ guides to make it easier for you to compare.
We're independent
Unlike other comparison sites, we're not owned by an insurer. That means our opinions are our own and we work with lots of life insurance brands, making it easier for you to find a good deal.
We're here to help
Since 2016, we've helped 270,000+ people find life insurance by explaining your cover options, simply and clearly. We'll never ask for your number or email. We're here to help you make a decision.
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.
One of the benefits of income protection insurance is that you may have the ability to claim a tax deduction on your premium benefits. Find out if the same rules apply for policies inside super.
Income Protection has specific features designed for dentists including needlestick cover.
Feedback
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
