Global, regional, and national burden of road injuries 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023
Dariush Abtahi
Meriem Abdoun
Sami Saleh Alabdulwahab
Siddig Ibrahim Abdelwahab
Marjan Ajami
Dari Alhuwail
Victor Adekanmbi
Fadwa Naji Alhalaiqa
Auwal Abdullahi
Ukachukwu O. Abaraogu
Rana Kamal Abu Farha
Isaac Yeboah Addo
Shereen M. Aleidi
Ahmad Y. Abuhelwa
Irfan Ali
Clifford Afoakwah
Obed Adonteng-Kissi
Sheikh Mohammad Alif
Williams Agyemang-Duah
Fuad Hamdi A. Abuadas
Ali Ahmadi
Stephanie C.C. van der Lubbe
Fahmi Y. Al-Ashwal
Ayman Ahmed
Deldar Morad Abdulah
Mahnaz Afshari
Syed Mahfuz Al Hasan
Danish Ahmad
Mohammed Albashtawy
Khurshid Alam
Olumide Thomas Adeleke
Mohamed Abouzid
Hansani Madushika Abeywickrama
Babatope Oluwadamilare Adebiyi
Armita Abedi
Dina Abushanab
Muktar Beshir Ahmed
Kamoru Ademola Adedokun
A. Bhoomadevi
Muayyad M. Ahmad
Aqeel Ahmad
Neda Akhoundi
Miracle Ayomikun Adesina
Hedayat Abbastabar
Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah
Fahad Mashhour Alanezi
Tauseef Ahmad
Abdul Momin Rizwan Ahmad
Hasan Aalruz
Niveen M.E. Abu-Rmeileh
Muath A. Alammar
Sajjad Ahmad
Aanuoluwapo Adeyimika Afolabi
Richard Gyan Aboagye
Shreyash Agrawal
Hussin Albargi
Kamran Ali
Nagah M. Abourashed
Aiman P. Afsar
Toufik Abdul-Rahman
Shabbir Ahmed
Mohammed Usman Ali
Prince Owusu Adoma
Madeline E. Moberg
Hana J. Abukhadijah
Abdullahi Tunde Aborode
Khabir Ahmad
Amani Alansari
Salome Wumpini Agordoh
Mehrunnisha Sharif Ahmed
Zinat Abdrakhmanova
Dolapo Emmanuel Ajala
Aminu Kende Abubakar
Hailey Lenox
Tesfaye Birhanu Abebe
Ashraf Alhumaidi
Amidu Alhassan
None Abdullah
Aishah Fadila Adamu
Apurba Acharya
Mostafa Alam
Teklebirhan Abrha Abrha
Zahra Abbasi Dolatabadi
Mohamed Sherif Ali Ahmed
Tajudeen Adesanmi Adebisi
Mohammad Ahmmad Mahmoud Al Zoubi
Dominique Aluquin
Mahdi Aghaalikhani
Hasan Aalruz
Haroon Ahmed
Mohammad Shahid Ali
Fahmi Y. Al-Ashwal
Adekola George Adepoju
Vijay K. Aggarwal
Bhoomadevi A
Mohammed Fasihul Alam
Yawen Zhou
Kiran Acharya
Nagah M. Abourashed
Salah Al Awaidy
Olumide Abiodun
Saira Afzal
Mohammad Khursheed Alam
Ali Ahmed
Publication Name: Lancet Public Health
Publication Date: 2026-01-01
Volume: Unknown
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Background Road injuries are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Years of international efforts have aimed to strengthen policy engagement, including the 2020 UN General Assembly's proclamation of the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–30), targeting a 50% reduction in road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. The aim of this study is to provide estimates to monitor progress and identify intervention gaps. Methods As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2023, we estimated incidence, mortality, and morbidity of road injuries for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023. Four road injury types and 47 nature-of-injury categories were examined. Morbidity and mortality data from clinical records, vital registration, and police reports were harmonised using meta-analytic techniques to ensure consistency and correct for systematic bias. Incidence was modelled with the meta-regression tool Disease Modelling-Meta-Regression version 2.1 and cause-specific mortality with the Cause of Death Ensemble model, both incorporating location-specific covariates to support interpolation. Years of life lived with disability (YLDs) were estimated from the prevalence and severity of the nature of road injury, and years of life lost (YLLs) from the number of cause-specific deaths multiplied by the standard life expectancy at the age of death. Disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were the sum of YLLs and YLDs. All metrics were calculated with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). Findings In 2023, there were 50·9 million (95% UI 46·1–56·1) road injury incident cases, 1·34 million (1·04–1·58) deaths, and 75·3 million (59·8–89·2) DALYs globally. Road injuries were the leading global cause of death among males aged 10–39 years. Between 1990 and 2023, age-standardised incidence decreased by 38·3% (95% UI 36·9–39·7) and mortality decreased by 32·3% (6·1–49·0), but progress varied widely by World Bank income group. Mortality in low-income countries (43·8 [95% UI 31·7–56·0] deaths per 100 000 population) was approximately six times higher than in high-income countries (7·5 [7·1–7·9] deaths per 100 000), despite the high-income countries showing the highest age-standardised incidence rates (858·1 [95% UI 781·9–947·1] cases per 100 000). In the past decade, many countries achieved notable reductions in road injuries, but others, including Ghana and the USA, saw increases. More severe injuries tended to occur in low-income and middle-income countries. Interpretation Although global incidence, mortality, and DALY rates from road injuries have declined, progress remains uneven, with pronounced disparities across income groups reflecting systemic inadequacies in infrastructure, vehicle standards, enforcement, and post-crash care. Strengthening emergency response, improving road design, enforcing safety measures, and adapting policies to the evolving demographics remain essential. Funding Gates Foundation.
Open Access: Yes
Authors - 104
Dariush Abtahi
18036750600
Meriem Abdoun
20336514800
Sami Saleh Alabdulwahab
25957549200
Siddig Ibrahim Abdelwahab
26029049500
Marjan Ajami
26038910500
Dari Alhuwail
36454483000
Victor Adekanmbi
53463192900
Fadwa Naji Alhalaiqa
54895003400
Auwal Abdullahi
56102934500
Ukachukwu O. Abaraogu
56119041500
Rana Kamal Abu Farha
56283149600
Isaac Yeboah Addo
56305995900
Shereen M. Aleidi
56459017600
Ahmad Y. Abuhelwa
56588047800
Irfan Ali
56648238100
Clifford Afoakwah
56764695900
Obed Adonteng-Kissi
56841541000
Sheikh Mohammad Alif
57190228064
Williams Agyemang-Duah
57190228903
Fuad Hamdi A. Abuadas
57193453829
Ali Ahmadi
57193998515
Stephanie C.C. van der Lubbe
57194422517
Fahmi Y. Al-Ashwal
57196371551
Ayman Ahmed
57199492030
Deldar Morad Abdulah
57200190808
Mahnaz Afshari
57200268094
Syed Mahfuz Al Hasan
57201069050
Danish Ahmad
57202805842
Mohammed Albashtawy
57203680806
Khurshid Alam
57203681299
Olumide Thomas Adeleke
57204237787
Mohamed Abouzid
57204445082
Hansani Madushika Abeywickrama
57204445170
Babatope Oluwadamilare Adebiyi
57204551152
Armita Abedi
57204607249
Dina Abushanab
57205329983
Muktar Beshir Ahmed
57207802317
Kamoru Ademola Adedokun
57207983240
A. Bhoomadevi
57208576447
Muayyad M. Ahmad
57208845008
Aqeel Ahmad
57210400531
Neda Akhoundi
57211939110
Miracle Ayomikun Adesina
57212196361
Hedayat Abbastabar
57212441848
Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah
57213592889
Fahad Mashhour Alanezi
57213607595
Tauseef Ahmad
57214283386
Abdul Momin Rizwan Ahmad
57215340886
Hasan Aalruz
57216547615
Niveen M.E. Abu-Rmeileh
57216675148
Muath A. Alammar
57218259106
Sajjad Ahmad
57218961022
Aanuoluwapo Adeyimika Afolabi
57219351723
Richard Gyan Aboagye
57221438826
Shreyash Agrawal
57226320265
Hussin Albargi
57344039300
Kamran Ali
57373736200
Nagah M. Abourashed
57450956800
Aiman P. Afsar
57471280400
Toufik Abdul-Rahman
57576497300
Shabbir Ahmed
57696383400
Mohammed Usman Ali
57726370200
Prince Owusu Adoma
57777244400
Madeline E. Moberg
57820324700
Hana J. Abukhadijah
57865346000
Abdullahi Tunde Aborode
57916532700
Khabir Ahmad
57927912600
Amani Alansari
58044807900
Salome Wumpini Agordoh
58150226600
Mehrunnisha Sharif Ahmed
58154139200
Zinat Abdrakhmanova
58741627800
Dolapo Emmanuel Ajala
58746442600
Aminu Kende Abubakar
58880268300
Hailey Lenox
58884780300
Tesfaye Birhanu Abebe
59136814500
Ashraf Alhumaidi
59172792400
Amidu Alhassan
59232985100
None Abdullah
59244237300
Aishah Fadila Adamu
59432178200
Apurba Acharya
59705184500
Mostafa Alam
59895560300
Teklebirhan Abrha Abrha
59908615200
Zahra Abbasi Dolatabadi
59910741000
Mohamed Sherif Ali Ahmed
59996360600
Tajudeen Adesanmi Adebisi
59997997500
Mohammad Ahmmad Mahmoud Al Zoubi
59997998700
Dominique Aluquin
60081411400
Mahdi Aghaalikhani
60211450000
Hasan Aalruz
60262109200
Haroon Ahmed
60271518200
Mohammad Shahid Ali
60391626800
Fahmi Y. Al-Ashwal
60656555500
Adekola George Adepoju
60706111900
Vijay K. Aggarwal
60725451000
Bhoomadevi A
60742132700
Mohammed Fasihul Alam
60745553900
Yawen Zhou
60745671500
Kiran Acharya
60746013700
Nagah M. Abourashed
60746366600
Salah Al Awaidy
6508132710
Olumide Abiodun
7003859089
Saira Afzal
7004381116
Mohammad Khursheed Alam
7401492628
Ali Ahmed
7403428843
