Road crashes in Bulgaria have killed 388 people from the start of 2026 to the end of 9 October, the Interior Ministry said. In the same period of 2025, 336 people died, or 52 fewer.
A total of 6,652 people were injured. On average, one person dies on the roads about every 17 hours.
The National Statistical Institute (NSI) says 2,201 people died of external causes in Bulgaria in 2025, or a little over six a day on average. Besides road accidents, these include falls, drownings, poisonings, suicides, killings and other accidents, among them fires.
In 2025, there were 10.3 cases of suicide and deliberate self-harm per 100,000 people, 4.8 accidental falls, 2.1 drownings and about 0.7 killings and assaults. Men die more often from external causes, including crashes, suicides and accidents.
The NSI publishes its final data on causes of death late. So there are no official running figures for 2026, and any tally since 1 January is an estimate based on the 2025 data, not a count. It will only become clear whether more or fewer people have died from external causes this year than last once the NSI publishes its final data.
Four young people aged 18 to 21 died near Pleven a few days ago. Their friends placed four white crosses by the road and are asking for answers on how the drivers behaved and what condition the road was in.
Over the past 10 months, Plovdiv and the surrounding region have seen a series of killings, serious crashes, fires and workplace accidents. In the case of the shooting of a local businessman, a suspect has been charged, but there is no final verdict.
The body of a 45-year-old woman was found in Plovdiv on 9 October. Her 14-year-old son has been charged. The boy himself called 112 and, according to police, is helping the investigation.
In August, a 37-year-old man died below Mladezhki Hill in the city. According to prosecutors, he was lured to a meeting and beaten by a group of minors. Eight children have been charged. There are no verdicts against them, and they are considered innocent until the court makes a final decision.
People also died this year in gas cylinder explosions, house fires, falls from building facades and accidents involving heavy machinery.
A comparison is circulating which claims that Bulgarians die unnatural deaths, per head of population, at a rate similar to that of civilians in Ukraine. According to the UN, 2,222 civilians were confirmed killed in Ukraine because of the war from January to August 2026, and 13,058 were injured. Casualties were 55% higher than in the same eight months of 2025. In August alone, the UN confirmed at least 372 civilians killed and 2,349 injured, and almost half of the month's casualties came from missiles and long-range drones.
In Bulgaria, all external causes fall into one general category, while for Ukraine full current data on non-war causes is limited because of the war, migration and occupation. There is also no undisputed figure for Ukraine's population, because millions of people are abroad or in occupied territories. The comparison uses a population of 40m, which lowers the casualty rate per million. With fewer residents, the gap would be larger.