The total elderly population aged 70 years or over living in five rural districts in northern Finland, 1159 persons in all, were monitored by 'phone prospectively for 1 year, all falls being recorded separately for those living at home and in institutions. Of those living at home, 30% fell at least once during the year, 19% just once, this proportion not depending on age or sex. The home-dwelling men and women experienced 368/1000 PY and 611/1000 PY falls, respectively, the incidences tending to increase with advancing age. The men in institutions experienced 2021 falls/1000 PY and the women 1423/1000 PY, without clear age dependence. The home-dwelling women had a greater risk of falling repeatedly than the men, but the sex differences disappeared with advancing age. The falls among home-dwellers were concentrated in the day-time, whereas no variation with time of day was found in the institutions. Falls are common in the elderly, but their incidence and certain characteristics differ considerably between the home-dwellers and those living in institutions.