Rift & Coast

East Africa

WHO road-death estimates show wide uncertainty across East Africa

WHO estimated 35.0 road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in Kenya in 2023, the highest point estimate among eight East African countries. Its published range ran from 19.8 to 61.3. Rwanda's estimate was 10.4, with a range of 5.8 to 18.5.

Sources checked

Rift & Coast Editorial Team

Road safetyEstimated road traffic deaths and their published bounds

2023

Shared scale · 0 to 65 per 100,000 people

  • Burundi15.9 (8.6 to 26.2)
  • Ethiopia16.1 (9.5 to 25.7)
  • Kenya35 (19.8 to 61.3)
  • Rwanda10.4 (5.8 to 18.5)
  • Somalia15.1 (6.4 to 27)
  • South Sudan22.1 (11.3 to 36.6)
  • Tanzania13.4 (8.1 to 20.7)
  • Uganda15.7 (9.5 to 24.3)

Choose a year to compare the same eight countries. The dot is the estimate and the line spans its published bounds.

Source 1 Source 2

WHO central estimates over time

Shared scale from zero to 35.00 per 100,000 people. A gap marks a year without an observation.

Burundi

Burundi · per 100,000 people2000: 29.10 · 2001: 29.50 · 2002: 28.70 · 2003: 29.20 · 2004: 29.20 · 2005: 28.80 · 2006: 28.00 · 2007: 26.70 · 2008: 26.10 · 2009: 25.20 · 2010: 24.30 · 2011: 23.40 · 2012: 23.20 · 2013: 22.30 · 2014: 17.80 · 2015: 18.70 · 2016: 18.50 · 2017: 19.00 · 2018: 20.10 · 2019: 21.00 · 2020: 20.70 · 2021: 12.30 · 2022: 16.40 · 2023: 15.90

20002023

15.90 per 100,000 people · 2023

Ethiopia

Ethiopia · per 100,000 people2000: 25.60 · 2001: 24.50 · 2002: 24.40 · 2003: 24.60 · 2004: 23.80 · 2005: 23.10 · 2006: 21.60 · 2007: 21.00 · 2008: 20.70 · 2009: 21.10 · 2010: 20.60 · 2011: 22.30 · 2012: 21.90 · 2013: 21.80 · 2014: 20.90 · 2015: 20.50 · 2016: 20.10 · 2017: 20.10 · 2018: 19.80 · 2019: 19.40 · 2020: 19.00 · 2021: 17.70 · 2022: 17.00 · 2023: 16.10

20002023

16.10 per 100,000 people · 2023

Kenya

Kenya · per 100,000 people2000: 22.70 · 2001: 23.70 · 2002: 24.00 · 2003: 24.00 · 2004: 23.90 · 2005: 24.50 · 2006: 24.20 · 2007: 24.00 · 2008: 24.40 · 2009: 24.70 · 2010: 23.90 · 2011: 23.70 · 2012: 23.80 · 2013: 23.50 · 2014: 23.40 · 2015: 23.40 · 2016: 23.30 · 2017: 23.20 · 2018: 23.00 · 2019: 22.90 · 2020: 24.90 · 2021: 28.20 · 2022: 31.20 · 2023: 35.00

20002023

35.00 per 100,000 people · 2023

Rwanda

Rwanda · per 100,000 people2000: 27.00 · 2001: 27.70 · 2002: 27.90 · 2003: 27.80 · 2004: 27.20 · 2005: 26.40 · 2006: 24.40 · 2007: 22.40 · 2008: 20.70 · 2009: 20.30 · 2010: 19.00 · 2011: 18.10 · 2012: 17.60 · 2013: 17.10 · 2014: 14.80 · 2015: 15.00 · 2016: 15.20 · 2017: 13.80 · 2018: 13.80 · 2019: 13.70 · 2020: 12.50 · 2021: 11.60 · 2022: 11.10 · 2023: 10.40

20002023

10.40 per 100,000 people · 2023

Somalia

Somalia · per 100,000 people2000: 31.00 · 2001: 31.10 · 2002: 30.90 · 2003: 31.90 · 2004: 32.80 · 2005: 32.10 · 2006: 31.60 · 2007: 29.20 · 2008: 28.90 · 2009: 29.20 · 2010: 29.70 · 2011: 30.20 · 2012: 30.60 · 2013: 29.80 · 2014: 29.10 · 2015: 28.10 · 2016: 28.10 · 2017: 29.00 · 2018: 29.20 · 2019: 28.90 · 2020: 20.20 · 2021: 20.20 · 2022: 17.40 · 2023: 15.10

20002023

15.10 per 100,000 people · 2023

South Sudan

South Sudan · per 100,000 people2011: 33.20 · 2012: 29.50 · 2013: 27.50 · 2014: 29.30 · 2015: 30.70 · 2016: 26.20 · 2017: 24.40 · 2018: 22.80 · 2019: 22.90 · 2020: 21.30 · 2021: 23.50 · 2022: 22.30 · 2023: 22.10

20002023

22.10 per 100,000 people · 2023

Tanzania

Tanzania · per 100,000 people2000: 24.50 · 2001: 24.30 · 2002: 24.00 · 2003: 23.50 · 2004: 22.80 · 2005: 22.50 · 2006: 21.40 · 2007: 21.00 · 2008: 20.90 · 2009: 20.60 · 2010: 20.50 · 2011: 20.20 · 2012: 20.50 · 2013: 20.80 · 2014: 20.80 · 2015: 20.50 · 2016: 20.00 · 2017: 19.70 · 2018: 19.40 · 2019: 19.00 · 2020: 16.50 · 2021: 15.80 · 2022: 14.50 · 2023: 13.40

20002023

13.40 per 100,000 people · 2023

Uganda

Uganda · per 100,000 people2000: 22.00 · 2001: 20.90 · 2002: 21.00 · 2003: 20.80 · 2004: 20.50 · 2005: 20.10 · 2006: 19.20 · 2007: 19.70 · 2008: 19.70 · 2009: 19.80 · 2010: 19.90 · 2011: 17.60 · 2012: 13.60 · 2013: 15.30 · 2014: 15.50 · 2015: 15.30 · 2016: 15.50 · 2017: 15.90 · 2018: 15.80 · 2019: 16.00 · 2020: 14.90 · 2021: 16.00 · 2022: 15.60 · 2023: 15.70

20002023

15.70 per 100,000 people · 2023

WHO Global Health Observatory, eight-country RS_198 series

The ranges qualify the ranking

South Sudan's 2023 point estimate was 22.1, with bounds of 11.3 and 36.6. Its range overlaps Kenya's, as do the ranges of several other countries. A ranking of estimates shows their order. The ranges show how much uncertainty sits behind that order. Source 1 Source 2

The denominator is population

The rate divides estimated fatalities by the national population. It describes the burden of road deaths across residents. Risk per journey or kilometre travelled would require separate traffic exposure data. Source 2

Different years have different levels of precision

Kenya's 2021 point estimate was 28.2, with bounds of 24.5 and 31.8. Its 2023 range is wider. Compare the point estimates together with their bounds when reading change through time. Source 1

Read the estimates as a published series

WHO combines available data with estimation methods documented in its indicator notes. Updates may revise previous years. The historical chart uses one WHO extract and its latest reported observation for every country. Source 1 Source 2

Sources

Open the data and source notes