Between 1970 and 1985, a total of 3,895 persons > or = 40 years of age were treated for hip fracture in a Danish municipality. The female: male ratio was 2.7. The cumulative survival was estimated and compared with that of the age- and sex-matched general population. The analysis showed that (a) the mortality was increased compared with the expected mortality, especially during the first year (19% for women, 25% for men), but a statistically significant excess mortality could be demonstrated up to 10 years after a hip fracture; (b) the mortality increased with age, even after adjustment for the expected higher mortality of the elderly; and (c) the mortality was higher for men than for women, even after adjustment for the expected higher mortality of males. This difference was already present after the first 2 weeks among patients > or = 70 years of age.