Traffic fatalities (i23)
- 31/10/2025
- objective
- assessment
In 2023, the number of traffic fatalities within 30 days, expressed per 100,000 inhabitants, was 4.5 in Belgium. To achieve the sustainable development goal by 2030, traffic fatalities must be halved. This objective will not be reached by continuing the trend since 2000 (data available in November 2025). The number of traffic fatalities within 30 days is therefore developing unfavourably.
Traffic fatalities - Belgium - trend assessment
number within 30 days per 100,000 inhabitants
| 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 | 2022 | 2023 | 2025 | 2030 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| observations | 14.36 | 10.40 | 7.84 | 6.80 | 4.35 | 4.60 | 4.50 | -- | -- |
| trend and extrapolation (November 2025) | 14.42 | 10.72 | 8.15 | 6.28 | 4.88 | 4.46 | 4.26 | 3.95 | 3.47 |
| objective 2030 | 2.18 | 2.18 | 2.18 | 2.18 | 2.18 | 2.18 | 2.18 | 2.18 | 2.18 |
Source: Statbel; Eurostat (2025), Road traffic deaths, sdg_11_40, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat, last update of data 11/07/2025 11:00 (consulted on 21/08/2025).
Traffic fatalities - Belgium and international comparison
number within 30 days per 100,000 inhabitants
| 1995 | 1999 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | 2020 | 2023 | 2023//1995 | 2023//2018 | 2023//1999 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 14.30 | 13.68 | 14.36 | 10.40 | 7.84 | 6.80 | 5.30 | 4.35 | 4.50 | -4.05 | -3.22 | -4.53 |
| EU27 | -- | 12.78 | 12.47 | 9.80 | 6.71 | 5.49 | 5.23 | 4.21 | 4.30 | -- | -3.83 | -4.44 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||||
Source: Statbel; Eurostat (2025), Road traffic deaths, sdg_11_40, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat, last update of data 11/07/2025 11:00 (consulted on 21/08/2025).
Traffic fatalities by region - Belgium
number within 30 days per 100,000 inhabitants,
| 1995 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | 2020 | 2023 | 2023//1995 | 2023//2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brussels-Capital Region | 4.73 | 4.59 | 3.08 | 2.94 | 2.45 | 1.74 | 1.14 | 0.48 | -7.85 | -22.70 |
| Flemish Region | 13.14 | 14.66 | 9.73 | 7.05 | 6.14 | 4.44 | 3.62 | 3.86 | -4.28 | -2.76 |
| Walloon Region | 19.11 | 16.62 | 15.08 | 10.78 | 9.36 | 7.01 | 5.85 | 5.59 | -4.29 | -4.41 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||
Source: Calculations FPB based on Statbel (2025), Mobility/Road accidents,https://statbel.fgov.be and Eurostat (2025) Population change - Demographic balance and crude rates at national level, demo_gind3, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat, last update of data 15/07/2025 23:00 (consulted on 21/08/2025)
Traffic fatalities by sex - Belgium
number within 30 days per 100,000 inhabitants,
| 1999 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | 2020 | 2023 | 2023//1999 | 2023//2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| females | 7.52 | 7.32 | 5.07 | 3.84 | 3.35 | 2.72 | 1.92 | 1.70 | -6.00 | -8.93 |
| males | 19.53 | 21.03 | 15.38 | 11.36 | 9.92 | 7.62 | 6.55 | 6.46 | -4.51 | -3.27 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||
Source: Calculations FPB based on Statbel; Eurostat (2025), Persons killed in road accidents, tran_sf_roadus and demo_gind, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat, last update of data 29/04/2025 11:00 and 14/10/2025 23:00 (consulted on 27/10/2025).
Definition: the indicator number of traffic fatalities within 30 days corresponds to the number of fatalities as a result of an accident, immediately or in the month following it. To make international comparisons possible, the number of fatalities is expressed in 100,000 inhabitants. Data come from police reports complemented by information from public prosecutor’s offices and compiled by Statistics Belgium, which makes them available, in particular to Eurostat. The data used here come from Eurostat, which publishes detailed and comparable results between EU Member States.
The following breakdowns are available for this indicator: region and sex.
Goal: between 2020 and 2030, the number of traffic fatalities must be halved to reach 2.2 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2030.
The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015 include target 3.6: “By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents”. Similarly, in Belgium, the Etats Généraux de la Sécurité Routière has set a target of halving the number of deaths between 2010 and 2020 (VIAS, 2019), which gives a target of 3.9 deaths within 30 days per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020.
In the longer term, the EU aims to reduce the number of road deaths to close to zero by 2050 (European Commission, 2018). This is also the case for Belgium. The Federal Long-Term Strategic Vision for Sustainable Development includes objective 24: “Mobility and transport will be provided in maximum safety conditions aiming at zero fatalities”.
For 2030, the European Union (Council of the European Union, 2017) calls for a target to halve the number of serious injuries on the roads between 2020 and 2030. This objective has been extended to the number of road deaths. In 2020, there were 4.3 fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants, thus a target of 2.2 in 2030.
UN indicator: the selected indicator corresponds to 3.6.1 - Death rate due to road traffic injuries.
Sources
-
European Commission (2018), Europe on the move, Sustainable Mobility for Europe: safe, connected, and clean, COM(2018) 293 final.
-
European Council (2017), Council conclusions on "Road safety endorsing the Valletta Declaration" (Valletta, 28-29/03/2017).
- VIAS (2019), Lequeux Q. & Leblud J., Rapport statistique 2018- Accidents de la route 2017, Bruxelles, Belgique: Institut Vias - Centre Connaissance de Sécurité Routière, www.vias.be (consulted on 3/11/2025).
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