Although the number had been gradually decreasing already, the decrease in 2020 was also influenced by the sharp drop in rail passenger transport following the COVID-19 outbreak. This decrease continued from 2020 to 2021 (-1%).
In 2021, 1.5 people died in railway accidents per one million inhabitants in the EU.
The highest rates of people killed in railway accidents were recorded in Slovakia (5.7), Hungary (4.9), and Poland (3.9). Latvia had the sixth-highest rate with just over 3, though this represents only 6 deaths in total – the same figure as in 2020. Lihtuania recorded 8 rail deaths in 2021 and Estonia just one death.
The Eurostat data shows that five of Latvia's six annual railway accident deaths were of people classed as "unathorised persons" on the railway network while rolling stock was in motion and one was an accident at a level crossing. The figures exclude suicides, which are not classed as accidents.
In addition, five people in Latvia were classed as "seriously injured" in railway accidents. All of these were caused by rolling stock in motion.
The lowest rates of people killed in railway accidents were recorded in Ireland (0.2), Spain (0.3) and Greece and the Netherlands (both 0.6). In total, nine EU Member States registered less than one fatality per million inhabitants in 2021 (Slovenia, Italy, Estonia, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Greece, Spain and Ireland).
Suicides occurring on railways are reported separately from persons killed or injured in railway accidents. For the EU as a whole, the number of such suicides remained between 2 200 and 2 800 per year in the period 2010-2021. The highest number was recorded in 2012 with 2 734 suicides on railway premises. In the following years, the numbers fluctuated. The highest decrease was observed between 2012 and 2013, with -6.7 % while the highest increase was observed between 2015 and 2016, with +3.9 %. The number of suicides on railway premises has fallen consistently from 2017 to 2020 but registered a slight increase in 2021 (+1.4 %).
In 2021, 2 234 suicides were reported, 30 more than in the previous year. With 678 recorded suicides in 2021, Germany accounted for almost one-third (30 %) of the EU total. There was also a significant number of such suicides in France (243 recorded cases), the Netherlands (186) and Czechia (161). Latvia reported five railway suicides in 2021. This was up on the 3 suicides of 2020 but half the number of 2019 when ten people ended their lives on Latvian railways.
