Deaths from road injuries in South Africa

South Africa: Deaths from road injuries was 14,528 in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
14,528
Change on year
up 25.5%
World rank
17th
of 192 countries
All-time high
20,616
in 2006
All-time low
11,574
in 2020
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Deaths from road injuries in South Africa, 2000–2021

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k2000201020212000: 17.0k2001: 16.5k2002: 18.5k2003: 19.2k2004: 19.6k2005: 19.0k2006: 20.6k2007: 17.4k2008: 16.9k2009: 16.5k2010: 16.2k2011: 16.2k2012: 15.7k2013: 16.0k2014: 14.7k2015: 15.0k2016: 16.3k2017: 16.3k2018: 15.0k2019: 14.5k2020: 11.6k2021: 14.5k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 14,528 for deaths from road injuries in 2021.

That represents a change of up 25.5% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, deaths from road injuries in South Africa peaked at 20,616 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 11,574, in 2020.

That places South Africa 17th out of 192 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

Deaths from road injuries in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Deaths from road injuries in South Africa, 2000 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2000 17,003
2001 16,459 -3.2%
2002 18,532 +12.6%
2003 19,166 +3.4%
2004 19,590 +2.2%
2005 19,014 -2.9%
2006 20,616 +8.4%
2007 17,351 -15.8%
2008 16,875 -2.7%
2009 16,499 -2.2%
2010 16,248 -1.5%
2011 16,206 -0.3%
2012 15,671 -3.3%
2013 16,037 +2.3%
2014 14,714 -8.2%
2015 14,995 +1.9%
2016 16,300 +8.7%
2017 16,276 -0.1%
2018 14,968 -8.0%
2019 14,484 -3.2%
2020 11,574 -20.1%
2021 14,528 +25.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 18,110 16,459 20,616 10
2010s 15,590 14,484 16,300 10
2020s 13,051 11,574 14,528 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 14 Russian Federation 15,335 compare
  2. 15 Mexico 15,267 compare
  3. 16 Kenya 14,926 compare
  4. 18 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 11,087 compare
  5. 19 Philippines 11,062 compare
  6. 20 Myanmar 10,405 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is deaths from road injuries in South Africa?
Deaths from road injuries in South Africa was 14,528 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest deaths from road injuries recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 20,616 in 2006.
What is the lowest deaths from road injuries recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 11,574 in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for deaths from road injuries?
South Africa ranks 17th out of 192 countries with data for 2021.
Is deaths from road injuries rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Deaths from road injuries. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Deaths from road injuries in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/deaths-from-road-injuries/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Deaths from road injuries
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,268 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed