Most Commonly Broken Bones

What is the most frequently broken human bone?

Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, this chart ranks the 12 anatomical sites with the highest number of new fractures worldwide. In 2019 there were 178 million new fractures across 204 countries and territories, covering all ages from newborns to 95+.

The study grouped fractures into these 12 sites:

• Skull
• Facial bones
• Sternum or one or more ribs
• Clavicle, scapula, or humerus (collarbone, shoulder blade, upper arm)
• Radius or ulna (forearm)
• Hand, wrist, and other distal parts of the hand
• Vertebral column (spine)
• Pelvis
• Hip
• Femur (other than the femoral neck)
• Patella, tibia or fibula, or ankle (knee, shin, calf, and ankle)
• Foot bones (excluding the ankle)

Fractures of the lower leg (patella, tibia/fibula, or ankle) were the most common. Fractures of the sternum and ribs were the least common. Men outnumbered women in every category except hip fractures.

Note on methodology: When an injury caused fractures at multiple sites, the study counted only the most severe fracture, ranked by disability weight.