The ATO road safety profiles offer insights into the road safety in 28 Asia-Pacific countries by utilizing road safety related data from various sources and policy information extracted from a range of documents.

The profiles were created by the Asian Transport Observatory —in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Road Safety Observatory (APRSO), and the International Road Federation (IRF)— as an input to global discussions on road safety, in time for the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech, Morocco.

Road safety in Pakistan presents a significant challenge. In 2021, an estimated 28,000 lives were lost due to road crashes, accounting for 2.2% of all deaths in the country. This grim statistic underscores the urgent need for effective interventions to improve road safety and reduce the devastating impact of crashes on individuals, families, and the nation.

A major hurdle in addressing road safety in Pakistan is the significant discrepancy in crash data. While the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates around 28,000 fatalities in 2021, national statistics report only about 5,000 deaths, and the Global Burden of Disease study estimates 38,000. This inconsistency in data collection and reporting makes it difficult to accurately assess the true extent of the problem and hinders the development of targeted interventions.

Despite the data discrepancies, demographic data provides valuable insights into the road safety situation in Pakistan. Data reveals that the share of female fatalities only slightly decreased between 2010 to 2021. The combined share of minors (<14 years old) and seniors (>65 years old) in road crash fatalities was 30% between 2015 and 2019. Pedestrians make up a significant portion of fatalities, accounting for 41% of the total in 2021, higher than the Asia-Pacific average of 31% (combined pedestrians and bicyclists).

The economic burden of road crashes in Pakistan is substantial. In 2021, the estimated cost of fatalities and serious injuries was about 12 billion USD, equivalent to roughly 3% of Pakistan's GDP. This figure exceeds the country's healthcare expenditure of 2.9% of GDP in the same year.

Road crashes also contribute significantly to the implicit costs of fossil fuel subsidies in transport, accounting for about 72% of the total. IRAP estimates that an annual invesment of 550 million USD, or just about 0.2% of Pakistan's GDP, could potentially save about 9 thousand fatalities per year.

The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) has assessed the safety of road infrastructure in Pakistan. As of 2024, only 1% of roads have a 3-star or better rating for pedestrians and 7% for bicyclists, significantly lower than the Asia-Pacific averages of 14% and 22%, respectively. For vehicle occupants, at least 24% of roads have a 3-star or better rating, while only 15% meet this standard for motorcyclists. These findings highlight the need for significant investment in improving road infrastructure to meet safety standards. In 2021, Pakistan had about 102 fatalities per thousand kilometers of road.

Pakistan has a relatively low motorization rate, with 160 vehicles per thousand population in 2022. However, the vehicle fleet is dominated by 2-wheelers (78%), followed by 3-wheelers (8%) and light-duty vehicles (12%). This composition of the vehicle fleet, coupled with rapid motorization growth, poses challenges for road safety.

Benchmarking Pakistan's road safety performance against other countries in the region reveals areas for improvement. While Pakistan's fatality rate per 100,000 population is lower than the regional average, the country lags behind in terms of reducing fatalities and improving road infrastructure safety . The road traffic crash fatality rate in 2021 was 11.9 per 100,000 population, lower than the Asia-Pacific average of 15.2 and the Central and West Asia average of 13.1. However, while Pakistan saw a 11% decrease in fatalities per 100,000 population between 2010 and 2021, this improvement was less than the 19% reduction in Asia-Pacific.

In 2021, Pakistan had about 81 fatalities per 100,000 registered vehicles.

• Urgent action needed to reduce road fatalities The Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 aims to cut road fatalities in half by 2030. An annual reduction of at least 7.4% is necessary to achieve this.
• Asia-Pacific region falling behind Despite reaching a peak in road crash fatalities, the Asia-Pacific region is not on track to meet the 2030 goal. The average annual reduction in deaths between 2016 and 2021 was only 0.6%, far below the required rate.
• Varying progress across Asia Using the 2016-2021 road crash fatality growth rate as a basis for estimates until 2030:
  • Only 3 Asian countries are projected to achieve the 50% reduction target by 2030.
  • 18 Asian countries are expected to reduce fatalities by at least 25%.
  • Worryingly, 7 Asian countries will continue to increase road fatalities, moving further away from the target.
• In Pakistan, road crash fatalities increased by approximately 0.0% per year between 2016 and 2021. If this pattern persists, the gap between current trends and the 2030 target will only widen

Pakistan has a National Road Safety Strategy 2018-2030, which targets reducing road crash fatalities and improving road safety. The strategy aims to save at least 6,000 lives by 2030 compared to current trends. Other policy documents that have indirect benefits for road safety include the National Transport Policy of Pakistan 2018, the National Freight and Logistics Policy, the Auto Industry Development and Export Policy 21-26, and the National Clean Air Plan. While these policies address various aspects of the transport sector, their impact on road safety must be strengthened.

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