Bulgaria has the highest number of road fatalities in the EU in 2025

Bulgaria has the highest road traffic fatality rate in the European Union, according to data for 2025 published by the European Commission, BNR correspondent in Brussels Angelina Piskova reports. Last year, 71 people per million inhabitants lost their lives in road accidents in Bulgaria. At the other end of the scale, Sweden recorded 19 fatalities per million inhabitants, compared with an EU average of 43.

Despite these alarming figures, Bulgaria is among five countries on track to meet the EU target of halving road deaths by 2030. The other countries are Belgium, Denmark, Poland and Romania.

Older people are the most frequent victims of road traffic accidents. Those at greatest risk include car occupants and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Most road fatalities occur on roads outside built-up areas. For every person killed in a road accident, five others sustain serious injuries.

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Edited by Diana Tsankova