Cyprus has recorded a 13.5 per cent reduction in road fatalities between 2019 and 2025 but saw an increase in deaths in 2025, according to a European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) report published on Tuesday.

The findings show Cyprus remains below the EU average in overall improvement, while also experiencing a reversal in short term progress.

Road deaths in Cyprus rose by 9.8 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year, placing the country 16th among EU member states for fatalities per million inhabitants, down from 14th in 2024.

Cyprus recorded 46 deaths per million inhabitants, above the EU average of 43.

Across the EU, the report states that around 19,500 people were killed on roads in 2025, with more than 100,000 seriously injured.

Fatalities fell by 2.3 per cent year on year, a rate the ETSC described as insufficient to meet the EU’s target of halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

Compared with 2019, EU road deaths have fallen by 14.6 per cent, while Cyprus’ 13.5 per cent reduction broadly mirrors the bloc’s slower than required trajectory.

The report states that only 24 of 31 countries included recorded a decline in fatalities over the period, with seven experiencing increases.

Over the past decade, Cyprus achieved a 21.1 per cent reduction in road deaths, slightly above the EU average decline of 20.2 per cent.

The ETSC estimates that more than 31,000 lives were saved across Europe during that period, though it said tens of thousands more could have been saved if reductions had followed the required path.

Cyprus performed more strongly in serious injury reduction, recording a 29.2 per cent decrease between 2015 and 2025, ranking among the higher performing countries in the EU dataset.

The report marks 20 years of the road safety performance index, which compares outcomes across 31 European countries.

The council said that “the EU is moving at two speeds when it comes to road safety”, adding that outcomes depend on policy decisions rather than inevitability.