2 January 2024 – Globally, 1.19 million people were killed on roads in 2021, at a rate of 15 road traffic deaths per 100 000 population. Road crashes remain a major killer of younger, productive age groups, which has major implications for health and development.

These are some of the figures given in the “Global status report on road safety 2023”, whicHO launched on 13 December 2023. It is the first such report published during the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of the road safety situation and sets out baseline data for monitoring progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal target 3.6 and the Decade of Action target to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50% by 2030.

The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region accounts for 11% of global road traffic deaths, with a fatality rate of 16 road traffic deaths per 100 000 population. Although lower than the death rate noted in the previous global status report of 2018, this still ranks the Region second among all WHO regions in terms of the overall road traffic death rate.

Low-income countries and territories of the Eastern Mediterranean Region have a fatality rate nearly twice that of its high-income countries. Even in these high-income countries, though, the overall road traffic death rate remains higher than the rate at either the global level or in most other WHO regions.

Still, the report shows that many of the Region’s countries and territories have succeeded in reducing their total road traffic deaths. More in-depth analysis will be provided in the planned regional documents based on the findings of the global status report.

The report responds to United Nations General Assembly resolution A/74/L.86, which requested the “World Health Organization to continue to monitor, through its global status reports, progress towards achievement of the goals of the Decade of Action”. It presents data from 194 countries, including 21 countries and territories of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (Djibouti is omitted).

In doing so, the report aims to describe the road safety situation globally; to identify gaps in addressing the problem; and to stimulate action and research to support decision-making and action to improve road safety at all levels.

More information can be found at:

Global status report on road safety

Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030

United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/74/L.86: Improving global road safety