Deaths in road incidents in Japan
Japan: Deaths in road incidents was 3,216 deaths in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
3,216 deaths
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
13th
of 65 countries
All-time high
21,795 deaths
in 1970
All-time low
3,205 deaths
in 2021
Years of data
53
1970–2022
Deaths in road incidents in Japan, 1970–2022
Source: OECD (2023); OECD (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for deaths in road incidents in Japan is 3,216 deaths, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and down 38.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deaths in road incidents in Japan peaked at 21,795 deaths in 1970 and was at its lowest, 3,205 deaths, in 2021.
That places Japan 13th out of 65 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Deaths in road incidents in Japan, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 21,795 deaths | — |
| 1971 | 21,161 deaths | -2.9% |
| 1972 | 20,693 deaths | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 18,946 deaths | -8.4% |
| 1974 | 14,862 deaths | -21.6% |
| 1975 | 14,030 deaths | -5.6% |
| 1976 | 12,654 deaths | -9.8% |
| 1977 | 11,629 deaths | -8.1% |
| 1978 | 11,418 deaths | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 11,006 deaths | -3.6% |
| 1980 | 11,388 deaths | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 11,335 deaths | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 11,795 deaths | +4.1% |
| 1983 | 12,376 deaths | +4.9% |
| 1984 | 12,041 deaths | -2.7% |
| 1985 | 12,039 deaths | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 12,112 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 12,151 deaths | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 13,447 deaths | +10.7% |
| 1989 | 14,412 deaths | +7.2% |
| 1990 | 14,595 deaths | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 14,442 deaths | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 14,888 deaths | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 13,272 deaths | -10.9% |
| 1994 | 12,772 deaths | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 12,675 deaths | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 11,675 deaths | -7.9% |
| 1997 | 11,256 deaths | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 10,808 deaths | -4.0% |
| 1999 | 10,378 deaths | -4.0% |
| 2000 | 10,410 deaths | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 10,071 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 9,645 deaths | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 8,944 deaths | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 8,572 deaths | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 7,997 deaths | -6.7% |
| 2006 | 7,336 deaths | -8.3% |
| 2007 | 6,695 deaths | -8.7% |
| 2008 | 6,079 deaths | -9.2% |
| 2009 | 5,840 deaths | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 5,828 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 5,535 deaths | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 5,261 deaths | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 5,165 deaths | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 4,837 deaths | -6.4% |
| 2015 | 4,885 deaths | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 4,698 deaths | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 4,431 deaths | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 4,166 deaths | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 3,920 deaths | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 3,416 deaths | -12.9% |
| 2021 | 3,205 deaths | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 3,216 deaths | +0.3% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 3,216 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 528 deaths, 6.1× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Japan's 3,216 deaths is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,735 deaths, 1.2× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15,819 deaths | 11,006 deaths | 21,795 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 12,310 deaths | 11,335 deaths | 14,412 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 12,676 deaths | 10,378 deaths | 14,888 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 8,159 deaths | 5,840 deaths | 10,410 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,873 deaths | 3,920 deaths | 5,828 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,279 deaths | 3,205 deaths | 3,416 deaths | 3 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More health data for Japan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.73 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2774 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,294 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 178 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.22 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0155 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is deaths in road incidents in Japan?
- Deaths in road incidents in Japan was 3,216 deaths in 2022, according to OECD (2023); OECD (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deaths in road incidents recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 21,795 deaths in 1970.
- What is the lowest deaths in road incidents recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,205 deaths in 2021.
- How does Japan rank for deaths in road incidents?
- Japan ranks 13th out of 65 countries with data for 2022.
- Is deaths in road incidents rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2023); OECD (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Deaths in road incidents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of reported deaths due to road accidents.