Purpose: To report on the national traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) mortality of China population, and assess sex-, age-, location-, and cause-specific mortality rates, respectively.

Methods: A population-based longitudinal study based on mortality data from the Disease Surveillance Points system of China, 2006–2016. TSCI was defined according to the 10th International Classification of Disease. Negative binomial regression was used to test the significance of the change in overall and subgroup mortality rate.

Results: Age-adjusted TSCI mortality rate increased by 64% from 2006 to 2016, ranging from 0.19 to 0.34 per 100,000 population. The crude mortality was 0.31 per 100,000 population in 2016. Males and rural residents had higher TSCI mortality rates than females and urban residents. The age-adjusted TSCI mortality rate increased 53% for males, 107% for females, 75% in an urban area, and 59% in a rural area. In comparison with insignificant change in the age group of 0–44 years, TSCI mortality increased 56% and 147% in age groups of 45–64 years and 65 years. Falls accounted for 45.4% of total mortality.

Conclusions: TSCI mortality rates were higher in males and in rural residents than in females and in urban residents during the study time period. TSCI mortality increased quickly as age increased; adults aged 65 years and older had the highest mortality rate. Falls and motor vehicle crashes were the two most common causes of TSCI mortality. More prevention efforts are needed to reduce a number of deaths from TSCI injury considering a substantial increase in TSCI mortality.