Epidemiology and outcomes of severe injury patients: Nationwide community-based study in Korea

•During the one-year period (2018), 36,363 severe injuries occurred, yielding a crude annual incidence rate of 70.9 per 100,000 population; 57.8% were traumatic injuries, and 42.2% were nontraumatic injuries.•The adjusted annual incidence rates were 61.7/100,000 for all severe injuries, 35.3/100,000 for traumatic injuries, and 26.4/100,000 for nontraumatic injuries.•The case-fatality rate was 24.3% for all severe injuries, 26.9% for traumatic injuries, and 20.1% for nontraumatic injuries. The case-disability rate of GOS 3,4 was 6.1%, and the case-disability rate of GOS 2–4 was 16.4% for all severe injury patients.