In 2022, road traffic accidents claimed the lives of 20 653 people in the EU, marking a 4% increase compared with 2021 (19 917 fatalities). The number of fatalities has been increasing for 2 consecutive years after the unprecedented drop in 2020 (18 833), which was attributed to COVID-19 restrictions affecting passenger transport.

Road fatality rates: lowest in Sweden, highest in Romania

In 2022, there were on average 46 road traffic fatalities per million inhabitants in the EU. Taking into consideration the population of each EU country, the lowest rates of road fatalities in 2022 were registered in Sweden (22 road fatalities per million inhabitants), Denmark (26) and Ireland (31).

In contrast, the highest rates were recorded in Romania (86 road fatalities per million inhabitants), followed by Bulgaria (78) and Croatia (71).

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20240412-1