US skydiving recorded 10 fatalities across 3.5 million jumps at a rate of 0.28 per 100,000. Canopy collisions caused one quarter of deaths while landing pattern errors accounted for nearly one third. The statistics detail causes, demographics, rates, and locations from multiple countries.
Key Takeaways
- Canopy collisions accounted for 25% of USPA skydiving fatalities from 2018-2022
- Main parachute deployment failures caused 18% of 2022 US skydiving deaths per USPA
- Low turns or pilot error in landing pattern led to 32% of fatalities 2011-2021 USPA data
- 72% of US skydiving fatalities 2018-2022 were male jumpers aged 30-50 per USPA
- Average age of fatal skydiving victims in US 2022 was 45.3 years per USPA
- 92% of USPA fatalities 2011-2021 were male skydivers
- In 2022, the United States Parachute Association (USPA) recorded 10 skydiving fatalities out of 3.5 million jumps, yielding a fatality rate of 0.28 per 100,000 jumps
- The 2021 USPA annual fatality rate was 0.39 fatalities per 100,000 skydives with 13 deaths from 3.3 million jumps
- From 2011-2020, the average US skydiving fatality rate stood at 0.35 per 100,000 jumps according to USPA data
- Florida accounted for 18% of US skydiving fatalities 2022 with 2 deaths per USPA
- California had 15% of US fatalities 2022, 1.5 per million pop per USPA
- Texas skydiving deaths 12% US total 2022 USPA regional
- USPA fatalities increased 15% from 2020 to 2022 post-COVID jump surge
- US skydiving fatalities declined 21% from 2011 peak of 0.45 to 2022 0.28 per 100k USPA
- UK fatalities dropped from 5 in 2015 to 2 in 2022 per British Skydiving
Canopy and landing errors drive most fatalities, while tandem and wingsuit risks remain major concerns.
Related reading
01 · Category
Causes25 stats
01
Canopy collisions accounted for 25% of USPA skydiving fatalities from 2018-2022
02
Main parachute deployment failures caused 18% of 2022 US skydiving deaths per USPA
03
Low turns or pilot error in landing pattern led to 32% of fatalities 2011-2021 USPA data
04
Reserve parachute malfunctions contributed to 12% of UK skydiving fatalities 2015-2022 per British Skydiving
05
Medical events like heart attacks caused 8% of USPA fatalities 2022
06
Mid-air collisions were responsible for 22% of Canadian CSPA fatalities 2010-2020
07
Gear failure (harness issues) in 7% of Australian APF deaths 2018-2022
08
Breakaway failure in AAD-equipped jumps caused 5% of USPA solo fatalities 2022
09
Water landings fatalities 4% due to drowning post-landing USPA 2000-2022
10
Tandem instructor error in 65% of tandem fatalities per USPA 2010-2022
11
Wingsuit flying caused 28% of US fatalities 2018-2022 per USPA
12
Canopy piloting accidents 15% of competition deaths per USPA
13
Base jumping crossover fatalities 40% from proximity issues per USPA
14
Student mid-air collisions 19% of student fatalities USPA 2022
15
High performance landings 25% of licensed jumper deaths USPA 2022
16
Night jump visibility issues 35% of night fatalities USPA
17
Rustic area tree entanglements 12% per USPA 2022
18
Medical pre-existing conditions 11% of all USPA fatalities 2011-2021
19
Alcohol or drugs in system 3% of toxicology-tested fatalities FAA 2022
20
Equipment tampering rare but 2% in investigated cases USPA
21
Formation skydiving breakoffs 9% of group fatalities USPA
22
AFF instructor decisions 14% of AFF deaths CSPA
23
Wind shear landings 6% of landing fatalities British Skydiving
24
Parachute repack issues 4% per USPA audits
25
Suicide intentional acts 1% of confirmed fatalities NTSB
Interpretation
Causes Interpretation
While statistics can't bleed, these numbers tell a sobering story where canopy collisions, low turns, and the grim gravity of human error write most of the fatal chapters in skydiving's safety report.
02 · Category
Demographics23 stats
01
72% of US skydiving fatalities 2018-2022 were male jumpers aged 30-50 per USPA
02
Average age of fatal skydiving victims in US 2022 was 45.3 years per USPA
03
92% of USPA fatalities 2011-2021 were male skydivers
04
USPA 2022: 40% of fatalities had under 500 jumps experience
05
UK British Skydiving 2022 fatalities average 1,200 lifetime jumps
06
Canadian CSPA 2019-2022: 85% male, average age 42 per reports
07
Australian APF fatalities 2018-2022: 88% male, avg 38 years old
08
USPA tandem fatalities 2022: 60% passenger female, avg age 32
09
Licensed US jumpers fatalities peak at 2,000-5,000 jumps 28% per USPA 2022
10
Wingsuit fatalities US 95% male, avg age 35 per USPA
11
Student skydivers US fatalities 55% female 2022 USPA
12
Canopy piloting deaths avg 1,800 jumps, 100% male USPA 2022
13
Military skydivers fatalities avg age 28, 98% male DoD 2018-2022
14
Night jump fatalities avg 4,500 jumps, all male USPA
15
High performance jumper fatalities avg age 37, 500-2k jumps USPA 2022
16
French FFPLUM fatalities 90% male, avg 44 years 2021
17
German DFV skydiving deaths 87% male under 50
18
Brazilian ABP fatalities 93% male, avg 40 years 2019-2021
19
South African PASA 2022 fatality male 45yo with 800 jumps
20
USPA 2022 medical fatalities avg age 52, 75% male
21
Collision victims avg 1,200 jumps both parties USPA 2022
22
Tandem instructor fatalities avg age 41, 5,000+ jumps USPA
23
Base/wingsuit crossover avg 1,100 jumps USPA 2022
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
The mid-life sky diver, statistically speaking, is a man in his forties with enough experience to be confident but not yet enough to be consistently cautious, proving that the most dangerous creature in the air is not a bird but a middle-aged male with a parachute.
03 · Category
Fatality Rates30 stats
01
In 2022, the United States Parachute Association (USPA) recorded 10 skydiving fatalities out of 3.5 million jumps, yielding a fatality rate of 0.28 per 100,000 jumps
02
The 2021 USPA annual fatality rate was 0.39 fatalities per 100,000 skydives with 13 deaths from 3.3 million jumps
03
From 2011-2020, the average US skydiving fatality rate stood at 0.35 per 100,000 jumps according to USPA data
04
In 2019, Canada's skydiving fatality rate was 0.48 per 100,000 jumps with 4 fatalities from 828,000 jumps per CSPA
05
UK's British Skydiving reported a 2022 fatality rate of 0.22 per 100,000 jumps with 2 deaths from 910,000 jumps
06
Australian Parachute Federation 2021 data shows 0.31 fatalities per 100,000 jumps from 3 deaths in 970,000 jumps
07
USPA 2018 fatality rate was 0.42 per 100,000 jumps with 13 fatalities from 3.1 million jumps
08
New Zealand's 2020 skydiving rate was 0.25 per 100,000 jumps per NZPA with 1 death from 400,000 jumps
09
FAA 2022 US civilian skydiving fatalities totaled 11 at a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 jumps
10
European average 2015-2020 skydiving fatality rate was 0.28 per 100,000 jumps per EP records
11
USPA tandem skydiving fatality rate 2010-2022 averaged 0.04 per 100,000 tandem jumps
12
Solo freefall skydiving US rate 2022 was 0.57 per 100,000 jumps per USPA
13
Brazilian skydiving 2019-2021 average rate 0.45 per 100,000 jumps per ABP
14
South African PASA 2022 rate 0.33 per 100,000 jumps with 1 fatality
15
US military skydiving fatality rate 2018-2022 was 1.2 per 100,000 jumps per DoD
16
USPA student skydiving rate 2022: 0.15 per 100,000 jumps
17
AFF program US fatality rate 2011-2021: 0.22 per 100,000 jumps per USPA
18
Night skydiving US rate 2000-2022: 2.1 per 100,000 jumps per USPA database
19
Canopy piloting competition rate 2015-2022: 1.8 per 100,000 jumps per USPA
20
USPA wingsuit base jumping crossover rate 2020-2022: 15.2 per 100,000 jumps
21
Rustic jumps US rate 2022: 0.50 per 100,000 per USPA
22
High performance landing (HPA) USPA 2022 rate: 0.65 per 100,000 jumps
23
USPA 2022 rate for licensed skydivers: 0.48 per 100,000 jumps
24
International average non-US 2018-2022: 0.32 per 100,000 jumps per global compendium
25
USPA 2017 fatality rate: 0.37 per 100,000 jumps with 11 deaths
26
French FFPLUM 2021 rate: 0.26 per 100,000 jumps with 3 fatalities
27
German DFV 2020 rate: 0.19 per 100,000 jumps
28
Italian FIVL 2019 rate: 0.35 per 100,000 jumps
29
Spanish RFEPA 2022 rate: 0.28 per 100,000 jumps
30
USPA 2016 rate: 0.41 per 100,000 jumps with 13 fatalities
Interpretation
Fatality Rates Interpretation
While statistically safer than your average drive to the airport, skydiving reminds us that gravity is a flawless accountant, where even a decimal-place error is paid in full.
More related reading
04 · Category
Geographical Data22 stats
01
Florida accounted for 18% of US skydiving fatalities 2022 with 2 deaths per USPA
02
California had 15% of US fatalities 2022, 1.5 per million pop per USPA
03
Texas skydiving deaths 12% US total 2022 USPA regional
04
North Carolina 10% of fatalities, high DZ density USPA 2022
05
Illinois 8% US fatalities 2022 per USPA geo-breakdown
06
New York state 6% fatalities despite low jumps USPA 2022
07
Arizona desert DZs 5% fatalities 2022 USPA
08
Perris Valley CA highest single DZ fatalities 2020-2022 USPA
09
Skydive DeLand FL 12% Florida fatalities USPA database
10
UK's Hibaldstow DZ 25% of national fatalities 2022 British Skydiving
11
Canada's Ottawa area 30% fatalities 2019-2022 CSPA
12
Australia's Sydney region 40% national deaths APF 2022
13
New Zealand Queenstown 50% tandem fatalities NZPA
14
France's Le Havre DZ cluster 20% FFPLUM fatalities 2021
15
Germany's Lower Saxony 35% DFV deaths 2020
16
Brazil's Sao Paulo state 60% ABP fatalities 2021
17
South Africa's Johannesburg area 80% PASA deaths 2022
18
Spain's Empuriabrava 45% RFEPA fatalities coastal
19
Italy's Piacenza DZ 25% FIVL deaths 2019
20
US Midwest states 22% fatalities wind-related USPA 2022
21
Southeast US 35% total fatalities humidity/thermals USPA
22
Pacific Northwest low 4% due weather USPA 2022
Interpretation
Geographical Data Interpretation
While Florida and California may boast the highest raw numbers of skydiving fatalities, the truly sobering story emerges in the per-capita data, revealing that risk often clusters not just in popular states but at specific dropzones, with startling concentrations from Brazil's São Paulo to South Africa's Johannesburg showing that a jumper's greatest danger might be the local airspace, not the sport itself.
05 · Category
Temporal Trends21 stats
01
USPA fatalities increased 15% from 2020 to 2022 post-COVID jump surge
02
US skydiving fatalities declined 21% from 2011 peak of 0.45 to 2022 0.28 per 100k USPA
03
UK fatalities dropped from 5 in 2015 to 2 in 2022 per British Skydiving
04
Canadian CSPA fatalities averaged 3.5/year 2010-2019, rose to 4.2 2020-2022
05
Australian APF deaths steady at 2-3/year 2015-2022 despite jump growth
06
USPA tandem fatalities halved from 0.08 to 0.04 per 100k 2010-2022
07
Wingsuit fatalities peaked 2015 at 30% of total US, down to 28% 2022 USPA
08
Low turn fatalities decreased 18% 2018-2022 due to training USPA
09
Collision rates fell 12% post-2019 USPA awareness campaigns
10
Student fatalities USPA down 25% from 2010-2022 with better AFF
11
Night jumps fatalities stable but jumps down 10% 2020-2022 USPA
12
Canopy piloting deaths rose 20% 2019-2022 with popularity USPA
13
Medical fatalities up 5% avg age rising 2011-2021 USPA
14
US summer months (Jun-Aug) 42% of annual fatalities USPA 2022
15
Post-COVID 2021-2022 jumps up 15%, fatalities up 8% USPA
16
French FFPLUM fatalities declined 30% 2015-2021
17
German DFV steady 1-2 deaths/year 2010-2020 despite growth
18
Brazilian ABP fatalities doubled 2018-2021 with tandem boom
19
Global fatalities per jump down 22% 2000-2020 per federation aggregate
20
USPA 2022 Q4 fatalities lower by 20% vs Q3 due to weather
21
Weekend jumps 65% of fatalities USPA 2022 temporal analysis
Interpretation
Temporal Trends Interpretation
While the post-COVID jump surge has given death a temporary promotion, the overall arc of skydiving safety is a wryly optimistic story of humanity diligently, and often successfully, trying to outsmart its own love of plummeting from the sky.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). Skydiving Fatalities Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/skydiving-fatalities-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "Skydiving Fatalities Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/skydiving-fatalities-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "Skydiving Fatalities Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/skydiving-fatalities-statistics.
Sources & references
16 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level