ObjectiveTo systematically review studies investigating the rate of falls among Chinese elderly. MethodsThe CNKI, VIP, CBM, WanFang Data, EMbase, The Cochrane Library and PubMed databases were electronically searched to identify cross-sectional studies on the rate of falls in Chinese elderly published from January 1st, 2000 to December 31st, 2021. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed using Stata 16.0 software. Results A total of 54 cross-sectional studies, involving 111 098 cases were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that the rate of falls among Chinese elderly was 19.3% (95%CI 16.9% to 21.6%). Subgroup analyses showed that the fall rates were 16.1% and 21.9% for males and females, respectively. The rates for 60-69, 70-79, and >80 years age groups were 16.3%, 21.7%, and 27.3%, respectively. The rates for the North, South, East, Southwest, and Central parts of China were 16.6%, 17.9%, 18.7%, 22.0%, and 25.8%, respectively. For the urban and rural elderly, the rates were 16.4% and 23.1%, respectively. The rates for those with or without spouses were 24.2% and 26.8%, respectively, while for the solitary and non-solitary elderly were 21.1% and 17.8%, respectively. The rates for elderly with or without exercise habits were 22.1% and 27.1%, respectively. ConclusionThe rate of falls is high among Chinese elderly, especially among females, older individuals, those in Southwest China, rural individuals, those without spouse, solitary individuals and those without exercise habits.
