Short answer
The US compares badly. In “Pedestrian and Overall Road Traffic Crash Deaths, United States and 27 Other High-Income Countries, 2013-2022” (MMWR, 2025), CDC researchers led by Rebecca B. Naumann found that US pedestrian death rates rose 50% between 2013 and 2022, from 1.55 to 2.33 per 100,000 people, while the other 27 countries saw a median decrease of 24.7%. The US had the highest pedestrian death rate of all countries examined.
Pedestrian fatalities in the USA versus peers
A PubMed-indexed comparison of pedestrian and overall road traffic crash deaths in the United States and 27 other high-income countries from 2013 to 2022 anchors this post.
Why it matters: traffic deaths are a preventable public health outcome shaped by vehicle design, speed, and street policy.
Read the abstract and country contrasts in the linked record. The editorial take is that U.S. roads are unusually deadly for people outside cars, and that is a design choice.
Frequently asked questions
How do US pedestrian fatality rates compare with other high-income countries?
They are the highest. A 2025 CDC MMWR report found US pedestrian death rates rose 50% from 2013 to 2022 (1.55 to 2.33 per 100,000), while 27 other high-income countries saw a median decrease of 24.7%. The US had the highest pedestrian death rate overall and among people aged 15 to 24 and 25 to 64.
How have overall US road traffic death rates changed?
Between 2013 and 2022, overall US traffic death rates rose 22.5%, from 10.41 to 12.76 per 100,000 people, while they fell by a median of 19.4% in the 27 other high-income countries studied.
What data did the CDC analysis use?
CDC analyzed 2013 to 2022 data for the United States and 27 other high-income countries from the International Road Traffic and Accident Database, plus early 2023 US estimates, which suggested a possible 2% decline in pedestrian deaths and 4% decline in overall traffic deaths compared with 2022.
What does the report recommend to reduce these deaths?
It calls for faster adoption of a Safe System approach: safer roadways and vehicles, safer speeds, support for safer road users, and better post-crash care.