Around 19,400 people died on EU roads in 2025, about 580 fewer than in 2024, according to preliminary European Commission figures.
The deaths represent a 3% year-on-year fall, although most EU member states are still not on track to halve road deaths and serious injuries by 2030, the Commission said in its latest road safety update on Tuesday.
Road safety progress varied widely between countries, with the steepest reported falls between 2024 and 2025 in Estonia (down 38%) and Greece (down 22%).
Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Poland and Romania are currently on track to meet the EU’s 50% reduction target for road deaths by 2030, based on the preliminary and sometimes partial data, the Commission said.
Romania continued to have one of the highest fatality rates in the EU alongside Bulgaria and Croatia, while Sweden and Denmark again recorded the lowest rates, at 20 and 23 deaths per million people respectively, according to the figures.
For every road death, an estimated five people are seriously injured, putting the annual number of serious injuries across the EU at around 100,000.
Rural roads and urban risks
Rural roads remained the most dangerous in the latest full-year data available, with 53% of road traffic deaths in 2024 occurring there, compared with 38% in urban areas and 8% on motorways, the Commission said.
Within urban areas, pedestrians, cyclists, powered two-wheelers (such as motorbikes and mopeds) and users of personal mobility devices (such as e-scooters) accounted for 70% of road deaths.
Men made up 77% of those killed on the roads, while women accounted for 23%.
Car drivers and passengers represented 44% of all fatalities, while powered two-wheeler users accounted for 21%, pedestrians 18% and cyclists 9%.
Deaths involving personal mobility devices represented 1% of fatalities, but rose significantly between 2021 and 2024.
The 2025 figures are preliminary and the final results will be published in autumn 2026.
