EU workplace deaths rise; Italy ranks tenth with 482 in 2024

Brussels – In 2024, 3,367 people died in workplace accidents in the European Union, 45 more than in the previous year, representing an increase of 1.4 per cent, according to data released by Eurostat. In the same year, non-fatal accidents fell by 1.5 per cent to around 2.78 million cases, 43,742 fewer than in 2023.

The ratio between the two phenomena therefore remains very high: for every fatal accident in the EU in 2024, there were 826 non-fatal ones, defined as those resulting in at least four days’ absence from work. The incidence rate for fatal accidents was 1.65 per 100,000 workers, while that for non-fatal accidents stood at 1,359 per 100,000 workers.

Men are more likely to suffer workplace accidents. In 2024, around two in three non-fatal workplace accidents (67.2 per cent) in the EU involved men. According to Eurostat, this figure is linked to the higher proportion of men in higher-risk sectors – such as manufacturing, construction and mining – as well as to the fact that women are more likely to work part-time, which reduces the time spent at work and the likelihood of suffering an accident.

At the national level, France recorded the highest rate of fatal accidents, with 3.61 deaths per 100,000 workers, while Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden remained below one. To better compare countries with different economic structures, Eurostat also calculates a standardised rate: in this case, the EU average rises to 2.10 deaths per 100,000 workers. France remains in the lead with 4.48, followed by Bulgaria (3.92) and Latvia (3.74). Italy ranks tenth, with 482 workplace fatalities. This represents a rate of 2.01 deaths per 100,000 workers, unchanged from 2023 and down from 2.66 in 2021. In Italy, there were 262,818 non-fatal accidents in 2024 (190,048 men and 72,770 women).

The construction sector accounts for the highest number of fatal accidents, 23 per cent in 2024, amounting to 776 deaths. Transport and storage follow with 15.9 per cent, and manufacturing, with 13.8 per cent. Taken together, construction, transport and storage, manufacturing, and agriculture, forestry and fishing accounted for 65 per cent of all fatal accidents in the EU.

On the other hand, the manufacturing sector has the highest number of non-fatal accidents, accounting for 18.3 per cent of the total (over half a million – 509,851 – cases in 2024). This is followed by construction (12.7 per cent, or 352,520 cases), wholesale and retail trade and the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (12.4 per cent, or 345,282 cases) and health and social care (12.3 per cent). The picture changes further when looking at the type of injury: superficial wounds and injuries, dislocations, sprains and strains, and concussions and internal injuries together account for 75.9 per cent of accidents. Bone fractures account for a further 11.6 per cent.

Eurostat warns that the data must be interpreted in light of differences between national reporting systems. In particular, the very low rates of non‑fatal accidents recorded in some countries may also reflect under‑reporting. In contrast, fatal accidents are far harder to miss precisely because of their severity.