Road crashes killed 19,350 people in the EU in 2025, a 3% fall from 2024 and a 15% drop compared with 2019.
The total was 580 fewer deaths than in 2024 and 3,400 fewer than in 2019, final figures from the European Commission show, as released on Tuesday.
Sweden recorded the lowest road death rate in the EU in 2025, with 19 fatalities per million people, followed by Denmark with 24 per million.
Bulgaria had the highest rate at 71 deaths per million, followed by Romania with 68 per million and Croatia with 65 per million.
Early 2026 figures point to further falls
Provisional data for 2026 suggests more countries recorded reductions in road deaths of more than 5% in the first half of the year, compared with the same period in 2025, than those reporting increases, the Commission said.
“Road safety is about more than rules and regulations. It is about protecting lives and preventing tragedies that affect families and communities across Europe,” EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas stated.
An EU Road Safety Conference is due to take place in Brussels on 23 November 2026, marking the halfway point in Europe’s 10-year strategy to halve road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.
