Background An aging society incurs great losses due to fall-related injuries and mortalities. The foreseeable increased burden of injury due to falls among elderly people requires a nationwide study on the fall epidemic in Taiwan. Methods The fall epidemic was examined using data from three consecutive waves of the National Health Interview Survey (2005, 2009, and 2013). Common explanatory variables across these surveys included socio-demographic factors (age, sex, and difficulty in performing activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living), biological factors (vision, comorbidities, urinary incontinence, and depressive symptoms), and behavioral risk factors (sleeping pill use, and frequency of exercise). After univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted, the prevalence of falls was investigated using multiple linear regression models adjusted for age group, sex, and the year of survey. A multivariate logistic regression model for falls with adjustments for these common explanatory variables was established across three waves of surveys. Results For each survey, there were consecutively 2,722; 2,900; and 3,200 respondents, with a mean age of 75.1, 75.6, and 76.4 years, respectively. The multiple linear regression model yielded a negative association between the prevalence of falls and the year of survey. Several sociodemographic and biological factors, including female gender, difficulty in performing one basic ADL, difficulty in performing two or more instrumental ADLs, unclear vision, comorbidities, urinary incontinence, and depressive symptoms, were significantly associated with falls. Conclusion Although information regarding the change in fall prevalence over time supports existing fall intervention strategies in Taiwan, the identification of risk factors in the elderly may increase the effectiveness of future fall prevention programs.