Sweden reported 20 road fatalities per million inhabitants in 2024, the lowest rate of road traffic deaths in the European Union, new data from Eurostat has revealed.
Other countries to report below-average road fatality rates include Malta, with 21 fatalities per million inhabitants, and Denmark with 24 per million inhabitants.
By contrast, Romania recorded 78 fatalities per million inhabitants – the highest in the EU, followed by Bulgaria (74 per million), and Greece (64 per million).
Road fatalities in the EU
Road traffic deaths across the EU fell to 19,934 in 2024, according to Eurostat, representing a 2.2% decrease compared with 2023, when there were 20,384 fatalities. This equates to an average of 44 road fatalities per million inhabitants across the EU.
It is the second consecutive year in which the number of deaths on EU roads has declined, the data showed.
Over a longer period, the data indicates a sustained downward trend. Between 2014 and 2024, the total number of road deaths in the EU fell by 17.4%.
Although the general direction has been downward, there were temporary increases in some years, including 2015, 2021, and 2022. The increase in 2021 and 2022 followed a sharp drop in 2020, which was linked to reduced traffic during COVID-19 restrictions.
Road traffic accidents
The European regions with the highest number of recorded road traffic accidents were concentrated in Germany, Italy, and Spain. The German region of Nordrhein-Westfalen recorded 62,741 accidents, the highest among all NUTS 1 regions. Bayern in Germany recorded 49,374 accidents, while Nord-Ovest in Italy recorded 48,815.
‘In 2021, the European Commission introduced the EU road safety policy framework 2021-2030 which sets up new interim targets to reduce the number of road deaths by 50% between 2020 and 2030 and forms part of the ‘Vision Zero’ objective – zero fatalities and serious injuries on European roads by 2050,’ Eurostat noted.
‘Since 2021, the European Commission has complemented this framework with several initiatives to strengthen road safety, notably through the Road Safety Package adopted in March 2023. This package includes proposals to revise driving licence rules, improve the cross-border enforcement of traffic offences, and enhance cooperation between EU countries.’ Read more here.
