Background Hip fractures in elderly patients are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Simple and reliable prognostic biomarkers are needed to guide perioperative management. Hemoglobin–Albumin–Lymphocyte–Platelet (HALP) score and Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) reflect nutritional and immunological status and may predict postoperative outcomes. We aimed to investigate the association of preoperative HALP score and PNI with 1-year all-cause mortality in elderly patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after surgical treatment for hip fractures.Methods A retrospective study was performed on 257 patients aged 65 years and older who were admitted to the ICU following surgical intervention for hip fractures. Demographic information, comorbidities, and laboratory results were all gathered. The patients were categorized into two groups: non-survivors (n = 40) and survivors (n = 217). Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of 1-year all-cause mortality.Results Non-survivors had significantly lower PNI (34.1 ± 7.7 vs. 37.9 ± 6.6; p = 0.004) and HALP scores (median 11.3 vs. 17.3; p = 0.003). Multivariable analysis identified low PNI (HR 0.910; 95% CI 0.841–0.984; p = 0.018), male gender (HR 3.054; p = 0.007), malignancy (HR 7.303; p = 0.014), and high Charlson Comorbidity Index (HR 2.404; p < 0.001) as independent predictors of mortality. ROC analysis demonstrated moderate discriminative power for PNI (AUC 0.642) and HALP (AUC 0.648).Conclusions Preoperative PNI is an independent predictor of mortality in elderly hip fracture patients, whereas HALP shows moderate prognostic value. These simple nutritional indices may aid early risk stratification and guide perioperative care.