A major international study led by researchers who have used extensive data from the NJR estimates that modern total hip replacements, those using today’s more advanced bearing surfaces, are likely to last over 30 years in 92% of patients. This new finding marks a significant improvement in long term implant longevity and durability, compared with previous generations of medical implant devices.
Published on 26 February 2026, the research represents the largest and most contemporary analysis of hip replacement conducted to date. The study was a global collaboration including data contribution from eight joint registries. The data of just under two million hip replacement procedures were analysed, with the NJR accounting for almost two-thirds of that data. Registry data were combined with evidence from 29 long term clinical studies, across 18 countries.
Data was included from adult patients undergoing primary hip replacement with contemporary bearing surfaces: highly cross‑linked polyethylene (XLPE), ceramic‑on‑XLPE, or third‑ and fourth‑generation ceramic‑on‑ceramic articulations. Only implants that are still in routine clinical use were included, ensuring the study reflects modern practice, rather than historic device performance. Across all registries, cases were followed for a minimum of 10 years, with implant survival tracked until first all‑cause revision. All three material types demonstrated similarly high survivorship.
The results of the study provide patients with reassurance in consideration of the commonly asked question “How long will my hip replacement last?” It is encouraging to know that modern hip replacements could last decades.
With regard to previous research on implant longevity, a 2019 study into hip replacement longevity which was supported by the NJR, suggested that over half, ie. 58% of hip replacements lasted 25 years, but those estimates were based on some implants made of materials that are no longer widely used. In 2022, another review of NJR data was conducted to enable further understanding of implant longevity, which produced the paper: ‘How long revised and multiply-revised hip replacements last?’ You can read more on that here.
You can read the recent Lancet paper here: Survivorship of modern total hip replacement to 30 years: systematic review, meta-analysis, and extrapolation of global joint registry data – The Lancet
Source: NJR
Image: Canva
