Road traffic crashes claimed an estimated 1.16 million lives globally in 2025, with children and young adults remaining among the hardest-hit victims, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The World Health Organization reported that road traffic injuries continue to rank as the leading cause of death among people aged 5 to 29 years.
The WHO disclosed that although global road traffic deaths have fallen by 21 percent since 2011, road crashes still kill more than one million people every year despite the addition of over one billion vehicles to the world’s roads during the same period.
According to the health agency, 92 percent of road traffic fatalities occur in low and middle income countries, even though those nations account for only about 60 percent of the world’s vehicles. More than half of all deaths involve vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the decline in fatalities demonstrates that proven road safety measures are effective, but stressed that the death toll remains unacceptably high.
He urged governments to strengthen the enforcement of speed limits, drink-driving laws, helmet and seat belt use, improve road infrastructure, and ensure safer vehicles to prevent avoidable deaths.
The report also revealed wide regional disparities in progress. Europe recorded the largest reduction in road traffic deaths since 2011 at 36 percent. While the Western Pacific Region saw a 15 percent decline. South-East Asia recorded only a two percent reduction, the Americas showed little significant change, and the African Region experienced a 17 percent increase in road traffic fatalities over the period.
WHO called on governments to accelerate investments in evidence-based road safety interventions, noting that stronger legislation, better enforcement and safer transport systems are essential to achieving the global target of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries.
