Global Road Death Rate Falls 21%, but Crashes Still Claim 1.16 Million Lives

NEW YORK — The global road-traffic death rate fell by 21 per cent between 2011 and 2025, even as more than one billion additional motor vehicles were added to the world's roads, according to new data released by the World Health Organization.

The decline represents significant progress in road safety, but WHO warned that traffic crashes still killed approximately 1.16 million people in 2025. Road-traffic injuries remain the leading cause of death among children and young adults aged five to 29.

The figures were released as United Nations member states adopted a new progress declaration intended to accelerate action towards reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent by 2030, compared with 2021 levels.

The declaration calls on countries to establish national road-safety agencies, improve data collection, enforce stronger laws and ensure that roads, infrastructure and vehicles meet recognised safety standards.

WHO is promoting a "safe system" approach, which acknowledges that human beings will make mistakes while travelling. Roads, vehicles, speed limits and regulations should therefore be designed to ensure that ordinary errors do not result in death or irreversible injury.

The global transport environment has changed considerably since 2011. The number of motorcycles more than tripled between 2011 and 2025, partly because of delivery services, ride-hailing platforms and demand for affordable urban transport.

Motorcyclists now account for almost one-third of global road fatalities. WHO says wearing a certified motorcycle helmet reduces the risk of death in a crash by more than six times.

Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists together account for more than half of all road deaths. The organisation warned that many roads continue to be designed primarily around private cars, leaving vulnerable road users exposed.

Progress has also varied considerably by region. Road deaths fell by 36 per cent in the WHO European Region and by 15 per cent in the Western Pacific Region. The South-East Asia Region recorded a two per cent reduction, while rates remained largely unchanged in the Americas. The WHO African Region experienced a 17 per cent increase.

Approximately 92 per cent of road fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries, although these countries account for around 60 per cent of the world's vehicles. Between 20 million and 50 million people also suffer non-fatal injuries each year, many resulting in long-term disability.

WHO says stronger speed enforcement, helmet and seat-belt laws, safer infrastructure, improved vehicle standards and faster emergency care are all necessary.

The global decline demonstrates that road deaths are preventable, but the continuing loss of more than one million lives each year means progress must accelerate.