Road Safety Statistics for 2024: Progress continues amid persistent challenges

In 2024, 19,940 people lost their lives in road crashes across the EU, according to latest statistics released by the European Commission today. This represents a 2% decrease compared to 2023 and marks continued, but slow, progress toward the EU's Vision Zero goal of halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030 and getting close to eliminating them by 2050. 

At 45 deaths per million population, the EU continues to have among the safest roads globally. However, behind these statistics are thousands of families and communities affected by tragic and preventable losses. 

Notable improvements were recorded in several countries, with examples including Lithuania (-22%), , Latvia (-19%) and Austria (-13%), demonstrating the effectiveness of recent road safety interventions. Concerning increases were observed in a small number of Member States such as Estonia (+17%) and Cyprus (+21%). However, these percentages are based on small absolute numbers. The majority of Member States maintained stable figures or achieved modest improvements. 

The overall ranking of countries’ fatality rates has not changed significantly, with the safest roads in Sweden (20 deaths per million inhabitants) and Denmark (24/million), while Romania (78/million) and Bulgaria (74/million) reported the highest fatality rates in 2024. Detailed figures per country are available below. 

The figures published on 17 October, reveal the final numbers of road fatalities for 2024, following the publication of preliminary data in March 2025.  

Estimates for the first semester of 2025 

Provisional data for the first six months of 2025 shows mixed trends across Member States. While some countries like Greece, Czechia, Estonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Slovakia are giving positive signals with declining fatalities, others face renewed challenges. These early indicators underscore that road safety requires constant vigilance and sustained effort. The European Commission will continue to monitor these trends closely and support Member States in addressing emerging concerns. 

Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas stated: “While these figures show continued progress, we must always remember that behind every statistic there are families and communities in pain. The fact that nearly 20,000 people lost their lives in road crashes last year is unacceptable. The European Commission will keep supporting all Member States in making roads safer. But this is a shared effort: governments, the industry, and every road user have a role to play in ensuring every trip ends safely .”

Find out more here. 

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.