Road deaths over the long term in United States
United States: Road deaths over the long term was 42,939 in 2021. β² Rising
Latest (2021)
42,939
Change on year
up 10.1%
World rank
3rd
of 65 countries
All-time high
55,043
in 1969
All-time low
36
in 1900
Years of data
122
1900β2021
Road deaths over the long term in United States, 1900β2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United States recorded 42,939 for road deaths over the long term in 2021.
The figure is up 10.1% on the previous year and up 32.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, road deaths over the long term in United States peaked at 55,043 in 1969 and was at its lowest, 36, in 1900.
That places United States 3rd out of 65 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 122 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 355.4 | 36 | 1,174 | 10 |
| 1910s | 6,062 | 1,599 | 10,896 | 10 |
| 1920s | 20,012 | 12,155 | 29,592 | 10 |
| 1930s | 32,555 | 27,979 | 37,819 | 10 |
| 1940s | 29,483 | 22,727 | 38,142 | 10 |
| 1950s | 35,780 | 33,186 | 37,965 | 10 |
| 1960s | 45,738 | 36,285 | 55,043 | 10 |
| 1970s | 49,836 | 44,525 | 54,589 | 10 |
| 1980s | 46,015 | 42,589 | 51,091 | 10 |
| 1990s | 41,534 | 39,250 | 44,599 | 10 |
| 2000s | 41,165 | 33,883 | 43,510 | 10 |
| 2010s | 34,885 | 32,479 | 37,806 | 10 |
| 2020s | 40,973 | 39,007 | 42,939 | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
More health data for United States
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1867 % change on previous year (2090)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates 1,069 (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 4,015 (2100)
- Population, male, annual growth rate 0.5333 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population, male, per capita 0.5025 units per person (2025)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by country 0 (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 2.37 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is road deaths over the long term in United States?
- Road deaths over the long term in United States was 42,939 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest road deaths over the long term recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 55,043 in 1969.
- What is the lowest road deaths over the long term recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 36 in 1900.
- How does United States rank for road deaths over the long term?
- United States ranks 3rd out of 65 countries with data for 2021.
- Is road deaths over the long term rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Road deaths over the long term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 122 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).