ACCIDENTS ARE the sixth leading cause of death worldwide, claiming over 3 million lives a year, and people in developing countries are far more likely to be killed in an accident than those in richer nations. That’s the shocking truth exposed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ (RoSPA)’s new report Accidental deaths and life-changing injuries: A global tragedy, in partnership with L’Oréal and Xylem.

This groundbreaking study of international accident rates, based on analysis of data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other sources, reveals that: 

• Accidents are now the sixth biggest cause of death worldwide.
• 3.1 million people lost their lives in accidents in 2021 alone: over 8,000 every single day.
• 1 in 20 deaths worldwide is the result of an accident.

In addition, RoSPA’s research reveals enormous inequalities across the globe:

• 1.2 million people are killed in road collisions every year.
• 92% of road deaths happen in low- or middle-income countries – even though they have only 60% of the world’s vehicles.
• 315,000 people are killed at work.
• 94% of workplace deaths occur in lower- and middle- income countries.
• Workplace deaths are highest in Africa and Asia.
• Workers are almost three times more likely to die of a workplace accident in Asia than in Europe, and nearly four times more likely in Africa.
• Agriculture has the highest number of deaths of any sector.

Many of these inequalities may be explained by poor infrastructure, weaker regulations and inconsistent enforcement in developing nations. RoSPA has also found that 80% of deaths in working age adults take place outside of work, with road traffic collisions, falls, drownings and fires being particularly deadly.

Together with the tragic human toll, with millions left unable to work or having to financially manage after a loved one has passed away, accidents also put an immense burden on economies, through a combination of lower productivity and the cost of medical care. In developing countries in particular, accidents can create a vicious cycle of lower growth leading to lower incomes and thus lower investment in accident prevention.

With over 100 years of experience developing evidence-based solutions that have saved millions of lives on roads, in work and at home, RoSPA is campaigning for much greater investment in accident prevention across the world to drive growth, improve productivity, foster social justice and – most importantly – save lives.

You can download the full study here: https://www.rospa.com/safety-campaigns/accidents-a-global-tragedy