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osteoporosis in a few figures. economic impact. impact on quality of life.
osteoporosis in a few figures
osteoporosis is defined by theworld health organizationas:
“a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass, deterioration of bone tissue, and loss of bone architecture compromising bone strength and leading to bone fragility and, consequently, an increased risk of fractures”(1).
these osteoporotic fractures are associated with a significant increase in morbidity and mortality rates.
in the context of an aging population, osteoporosis is becoming a major public health concern, affecting millions of people worldwide.
it is estimated that beyond the age of 50,one in two women and one in five menwill develop a fragility fracture related to osteoporosis (2,3).
a recent european publication estimates that approximately22 million women and 5.5 million menare affected in europe. this means3.5 million new fragility fractures each year.
for example:
a spinal fracture occurs every22 seconds.
a bone breaks every3 secondsdue to osteoporosis (3–5).
economic impact
the occurrence of fragility fractures related to osteoporosis also has a considerable economic impact. these costs are currently estimated at37.5 billion eurosin europe for hospitalizations, rehabilitation and/or placement in nursing homes, as well as therapeutic treatments.
according to theinternational osteoporosis foundation (iof), these costs would reach47.4 billion euros in 2030.
the same organization predicts that the increase in life expectancy in france, whose population is similar to that of switzerland, will lead to an increase in fragility fractures. this increase is estimated at+24.4% between 2017 and 2030, which would correspond to an increase of+26.6% in expenses, rising from5.4 billion to 6.8 billionin about ten years (8).
impact on quality of life
furthermore, a fragility fracture also has significant consequences on thequality of lifeof patients, measured inqaly (quality adjusted life years).
in2010, an estimated loss ofnearly 1.2 million qalyin europe (5).
this reflects the severe disabilities caused by these fractures, often resulting insignificant limitations in daily activitiesof patients (9).
some key figures
1 in 3 women
1 in 5 men
more than 200 million people affected worldwide
450,000 in switzerland
1 fracture related to osteoporosis every 3 seconds worldwide!
economic impact: 47.8 billion euros in europe in 2030
similar recent data have been published in switzerland:ofsp report(6,7).
sources
1. prior, j. c., barr, s. i., chow, r. & faulkner, r. a. prevention and management of osteoporosis: consensus statements from the scientific advisory board of the osteoporosis society of canada.cmaj155, 940–944 (1996).
2. cauley, j. a. public health impact of osteoporosis.j gerontol a biol sci med sci68, 1243–1251 (2013).
3. kanis, j. a. et al. a systematic review of hip fracture incidence and probability of fracture worldwide.osteoporos int23, 2239–2256 (2012).
4.international osteoporosis foundation, 2025:link
5. borgström, f. et al. fragility fractures in europe: burden, management and opportunities.arch osteoporos15, 59 (2020).
6.osteoporosis ofsp n°bag oeg 8.04 1’000d 500f 20bag04001.pdf
7. svedbom, a., ivergård, m., hernlund, e., rizzoli, r. & kanis, j. a. epidemiology and economic burden of osteoporosis in switzerland.arch osteoporos9, 187 (2014).
8.facts and statistics | international osteoporosis foundation : link
links for more information
swiss health observatory:obsan