Background Injury in low-and-middle income countries largely contributes to the global burden of disease. Small scale studies in Bangladesh show that injuries in head/face/neck region is a major concern.

Aims This study was designed to determine the magnitude, and healthcare and economic burden of injury in head/face/neck in Bangladesh.

Methods The data is from a nationwide cross-sectional survey, Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey (BHIS) 2016. There were 299,216 study respondents. The sampling method was multi-stage cluster sampling. Data was collected using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire, through face-to-face interviews at household level.

Results About 16 per 1000 population per year had injury in head/face/neck. Most of these injuries took place in roads and highways (34.1%), and were due to fall and transport injury (27.2% and 26.6%, respectively). About 16.3% of injured people needed hospitalization. The average duration of stay at the hospital was 7.3 (±11.9) days, and average out-of-pocket expenditure by the patients’ families was USD 425 (±2,552). Considering 160,000,000 (16 crore) population of Bangladesh, from these data it is estimated that every year, about 12,80,000 people are injured in the head/face/neck, and over $ 89 million are spent by the families at the hospital for these injuries.

Conclusion Injuries in the head/face/neck is a significant health and economic concern in Bangladesh. A huge amount of out-of-pocket expenditure is associated with injuries in head/face/neck regions, which is quite preventable.

Learning outcomes Interventions and policies targeting road traffic and fall injuries may be a great initiative to prevent injuries in head/face/neck.