Bulgaria leads the EU in road deaths, while Sweden is the safest

Bulgaria recorded 71 road deaths per million inhabitants in 2025, placing it at the top of the EU's road mortality rankings, according to Club Z, citing European Commission data. Sweden recorded just 19 deaths per million, the lowest rate in the bloc.

Where Bulgaria stands and who its neighbours are

Romania came second with 68 deaths per million, followed by Croatia at 67. Latvia recorded 64 and Portugal 51. The EU average for 2025 was 43 deaths per million, putting Bulgaria's rate more than 60 percent above that figure. In absolute numbers, Club Z reports that 456 people died on Bulgarian roads last year, a figure that fell by 5 percent compared to 2024 and by 27 percent compared to 2019.

Across the entire EU, 19,350 people were killed on roads in 2025. That is 3 percent fewer than in 2024 and 15 percent fewer than in 2019, around 3,400 fewer deaths than six years ago. Denmark had the second-lowest rate after Sweden, at 24 deaths per million.

A high rank, but a downward trend

Despite recording the highest rate in the EU, Bulgaria is one of only five member states currently on track to meet the bloc's target of halving road fatalities by 2030. The other four are Belgium, Denmark, Poland and Romania.

The European Commission data also shows which road users face the greatest danger. Older people are disproportionately represented among victims, as are pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Most fatal crashes occur outside urban areas, where speeds are higher and emergency response times are longer. For every person killed, the Commission estimates five more suffer serious injuries, putting the annual EU total of seriously injured road users at roughly 100,000.

What this means if you live abroad

Many Bulgarians living in Western Europe make regular trips home to visit family, rent cars or drive roads familiar from childhood. The difference in road safety conditions between countries such as Germany, the Netherlands or Sweden and Bulgaria shows up in the data as well as on the road.

The EU's road safety target is part of its broader Vision Zero ambition, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities entirely by 2050. Bulgaria's 27 percent reduction since 2019 suggests progress, though the 2030 deadline leaves limited time to close the remaining gap.