MoRTH Data · 2024
Road Accidents in Tamil Nadu
In 2024, Tamil Nadu recorded 67,526 road accidents in which 18,449 people were killed — 10.4% of all road deaths in India. This page sets out the five-year trend, how lethal those crashes were compared with the national average, and where the state ranks.
18,449
Deaths in 2024
Rank 2 of 36
67,526
Accidents in 2024
Rank 1 of 36
27.3
Deaths per 100 crashes
India: 36.3
+0.56%
Change in deaths
2024 vs 2023
What the numbers say about Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu recorded 27.3 deaths for every 100 road accidents in 2024, against the national figure of 36.3. Crashes here are less often fatal than the Indian average, which usually reflects lower average speeds, more urban traffic, or faster access to emergency care. Deaths rose 0.56% between 2023 and 2024, so the trend is moving the wrong way.
Five-year trend
Accidents and deaths in Tamil Nadu, 2020 to 2024, as published by MoRTH.
| Year | Accidents | Deaths | Deaths per 100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020COVID | 49,844 | 14,527 | 29.1 |
| 2021 | 55,682 | 15,384 | 27.6 |
| 2022 | 64,105 | 17,884 | 27.9 |
| 2023 | 67,213 | 18,347 | 27.3 |
| 2024 | 67,526 | 18,449 | 27.3 |
Across the full period, accidents in Tamil Nadu rose 35.5% and deaths rose 27%. Note that 2020 was suppressed by COVID-19 lockdowns across India, so a rise measured from 2020 overstates the underlying trend.
Tamil Nadu in the national picture
Share of India's road deaths
10.4%
of 1,77,175 deaths nationally
Share of India's accidents
13.8%
of 4,87,707 accidents nationally
National rank by deaths
2
of 36 states & UTs
More for Tamil Nadu
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people died in road accidents in Tamil Nadu in 2024?
Are road deaths in Tamil Nadu rising or falling?
How dangerous are Tamil Nadu's roads compared with the rest of India?
Where does Tamil Nadu rank nationally?
Source & method
Accident and fatality counts are from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (Transport Research Wing), Road Accidents in India 2024 — Table 5.1 (accidents) and Table 5.6 (persons killed), both State/UT-wise for 2020-2024. Ranks and year-on-year percentage changes are as published in those tables.
“Deaths per 100 crashes” is accident severity, calculated here as deaths divided by accidents for the same year. It is the standard measure MoRTH uses to describe how lethal crashes are, as distinct from how many there are.
Figures are those reported to MoRTH by state police departments. MoRTH restates earlier years in each edition, so these may differ slightly from figures published in previous years' reports.