ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 19,500 people were killed in traffic accidents across Iran during the last Iranian year, which ended on March 20, according to official figures released by the country's Legal Medicine Organization, highlighting one of the highest road fatality rates in the world.
The latest road death toll in Iran marks a slight increase from the 19,435 fatalities reported the previous year, according to a report published by Iran's state news agency ISNA on Saturday.
The figures are striking given Iran's population of roughly 90 million. The country recorded a similar number of road deaths to the entire European Union, which reported around 19,400 fatalities in 2025 across a population of about 450 million. According to preliminary European Commission data, road deaths in the EU declined by three percent from the previous year.
Neighboring Turkey, with a population of approximately 88 million, recorded around 6,000 road deaths over the same period.
According to ISNA, citing the Legal Medicine Organization, "of the total traffic fatalities last year, 15,660 were men and 3,880 were women."
The provinces of Tehran, Fars, and Sistan and Baluchestan recorded the highest numbers of road deaths, with 1,565, 1,543, and 1,390 fatalities, respectively. The lowest figures were reported in Ilam, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Qom provinces.
The report said that the majority of victims, 13,382 people, died on intercity roads.
The Legal Medicine Organization also reported a slight decline in injuries. A total of 378,729 people injured in traffic accidents visited forensic medical centers during the year, representing a 0.7 percent decrease compared to the previous year.
