30 Statistics about Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)

Over 15 million people around the world are affected by spinal cord injuries (SCIs), oftentimes living with serious complications as a result. Usually caused by trauma to some part of the spinal column, these injuries can range in severity depending on which part of the spine was damaged and how adequately the injury was treated. At best, someone with an SCI can make a full recovery and return to daily life without issue, and at worst, SCIs can cause complete loss of motor function and paralysis. 

While there is no cure for an SCI, there are a wide range of treatment options that can vastly improve the outcome. Surgery can be extremely effective, as can physical rehabilitation after the fact. In this article, we will give an overview of the most current medical data regarding SCIs, including a discussion of demographics, incidence factors, and potential outcomes of the injury. We will also give a concise summary of treatment options and the current state of SCI care. 

Global estimates suggest that in 2021, approximately 15.4 million people were living with SCI.

1. More than 15 million people worldwide suffer from spinal cord injury (SCI).[www.who.int]
2. The majority of spinal cord injuries result from causes such as car accidents, falls, or violence.[www.who.int]
3. Young adults (aged 20-29) and older individuals (aged 70+) face the highest risk among males. Adolescent females (aged 15-19) and older females (aged 60 and above) are the most vulnerable age groups. Research findings indicate that the male-to-female ratios among adults are consistently at least 2:1, and in some cases, far greater.[www.who.int]
4. About 30% of persons with SCI are re-hospitalized one or more times during any given year following injury. Among those rehospitalized, the length of hospital stay averages about 22 days.[msktc.org]
5. The average yearly expenses (health care costs and living expenses) and the estimated lifetime costs that are directly attributable to SCI vary greatly based on education, neurological impairment, and pre-injury employment history.[msktc.org]
6. One year after injury, about 13% of persons with SCI are employed. About one-third are employed by 20 years post-injury.[msktc.org]
7. More than half of persons with SCI are high school graduates at the time of their injury. Level of education slowly increases over time.[msktc.org]
8. More than half of persons with SCI are single/never married at the time of their injury. The percentage of persons who are married slowly increases over time, as does divorce.[msktc.org]
9. 80% of the cases incurring SCI from traumatic causes were male. The largest number of cases reported in 2017-18 were aged 25-34 (37 cases or 21%). Cases aged 55-64 were the next most numerous, with 32 (18%) cases reported.

10. Given the current U.S. population size of 324 million people, a recent estimate showed that the annual incidence of spinal cord injury (SCI) is approximately 54 cases per one million people in the United States.[msktc.org]

11. The annual incidence of spinal cord injury (SCI) is approximately 54 cases per one million people in the United States, or about 18,000 new SCI cases each year.[www.christopherreeve.org]

12. The estimated number of people with SCI living in the United States is approximately 302,000 persons, with a range from 255,000 to 383,000 persons.[www.christopherreeve.org]

13. The average age at injury has increased from 29 years during the 1970s to 43 since 2015..[www.christopherreeve.org]

14. About 79% of new SCI cases are male.[www.christopherreeve.org]

15. SCIs occur disproportionately in African Americans, who represent about 25% of injuries.[www.christopherreeve.org]

16. About 22% of injuries have occurred among non-Hispanic blacks since 2010, which is higher than the proportion of non-Hispanic blacks in the general population (12%).[www.christopherreeve.org]

17. It's estimated that 302,000 people living in the United States have experienced a traumatic spinal cord injury.[spinalcord.com]
18. Estimates range from 255,000 to 383,000. These estimates do not account for people born with SCI.[spinalcord.com]

19. Acts of violence (primarily gunshot wounds) 13.5%.[msktc.org]
20. Sports/recreation activities account for 8.9%.
21. Surgeries account for 4.7%.[msktc.org]
22. Other causes account for 4.0%.[msktc.org]
23. 86 cases (46%) of traumatic SCI cases were due to land transport crashes involving motor vehicle occupants and unprotected land transport users such as motorcyclists, pedestrians, pedal cyclists and quad bikes.[scia.org.au].
24. Falls contributed to approximately 36% of all traumatic SCI cases. Low falls contributed to 14% of cases while high falls accounted for 21%.[scia.org.au]
25. 7% were water-related with the majority of traumatic SCI cases caused by being dumped by a wave or diving/jumping into shallow water.

26. 55% of all cases of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) resulted in damage to the cervical spine. The condition that arises from this degree of impairment is known as tetraplegia or quadriplegia. The predominant level of injury observed was C4, which included 30% of cervical cases and 11% of traumatic spinal cord injury cases with a documented level of injury.[scia.org.au]
27. Upon discharge, 43% of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) victims were classified as incomplete quadriplegia.[scia.org.au]

28. People with SCI in the United States, 79% are male. Men are more likely than women to sustain injuries caused by violence and sports.[spinalcord.com]
29. However, 47% of injuries occur between ages 16 and 30. The most common age at the time of injury is 19.[spinalcord.com]

30. The risk of mortality is greatest during the initial year following an injury, and it continues to be elevated when compared to the general population. Key aspects include the extent and seriousness of the injury, the accessibility of prompt and high-quality medical treatment, the manner of transferring the injured individual to the hospital, and the duration till admittance to the hospital.[www.who.int]

SCIs are traumatic injuries with potentially devastating and permanent impacts on the body. SCI recovery is dependent on a variety of factors, and prevention is difficult as they are usually the result of accidents. However, there are an increasing number of highly specialized SCI care units and clinics that are crucial to the recovery of SCI patients. With timely treatment from trained medical professionals, the outlook for SCI patients can be vastly improved.

We hope that you have developed a more complete understanding about spinal cord injuries through this comprehensive overview. Given the rapid technological advancements currently taking place in the field of SCI treatment, we are committed to keeping this article updated by reviewing it annually in order to provide the most up-to-date information for readers.

• World Health Organization
• National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center
• Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation