Mozambique’s road safety profile has deteriorated in terms of lethality despite a significant reduction in the total volume of crashes, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE). The institute reported that 4,318 people were killed in road accidents between 2021 and 2025. While the overall number of incidents has declined sharply, the severity of the remaining accidents has increased, resulting in a higher death toll in recent years.
In 2025, the country recorded 611 road accidents, which is 76 fewer than the 687 registered in 2024. This figure extends a downward trend that began in 2021, when 1,027 accidents were recorded. Over that four-year period, the total number of crashes fell by 40.5%, representing 416 fewer incidents. However, this reduction in frequency was not matched by a proportional decrease in deaths. The number of fatalities climbed to 830 in 2025, up from 825 the previous year, marking the second straight annual rise and the peak since 2021, when 1,101 deaths were logged.
The INE data indicate that the fatality rate increased from 12 to 14 deaths per ten accidents in 2025, the highest level in the 2021-2025 period. Similarly, the average number of casualties per ten accidents rose from 37 to 39. Although total casualties fell by 19.5% compared to 2021, the 2025 accidents were, on average, more lethal. The number of seriously injured people fell from 615 to 582, while those slightly injured decreased from 1,075 to 992.
Joaquim Sive, head of the national police force, stated in September that vehicular collisions claim more lives than any illness in the nation. Speaking at the first National Road Safety Forum in Beira, he noted that early 2026 metrics indicated fewer incidents, deaths, and injuries relative to the same period in 2025. According to police data, 169 collisions in the first half of the year resulted in 239 deaths and 1,112 injuries, a 48.2% drop in incidents and a 41.5% drop in fatalities.
Sive identified human factors as the primary cause of serious accidents, citing a crash in Zavala district in Inhambane province that claimed 24 lives. The national classified road network extends over 30,616 kilometres, with tertiary roads accounting for approximately 41% of the total infrastructure.