Staff Writer
Africa recorded the highest aviation accident rate among global regions in 2025, according to the International Air Transport Association’s latest annual safety report.
The region recorded seven accidents during the year. The accident rate improved from 12.13 accidents per million sectors in 2024 to 7.86 in 2025.
Despite the improvement, Africa still recorded the highest accident rate globally. The figure remains below the region’s five-year average of 9.37 accidents per million sectors.
Fatality risk in the region increased from zero in 2024 to 2.19 in 2025.
The most common accident types were runway excursions and incidents classified as “other end state”. This category is used when events cannot be clearly classified because of limited information.
A review of such cases since 2018 shows that Africa accounts for most of these incidents. The report says this highlights the need for stronger compliance with state accident investigation obligations under international aviation rules.
The report also notes that 71% of accidents involving African operators occurred on turboprop aircraft.
Globally, aviation safety performance remained strong.
The worldwide accident rate stood at 1.32 per million flights in 2025. This is equal to one accident for every 759,646 flights.
The figure improved from the 1.42 accident rate recorded in 2024 but remains slightly above the five-year average of 1.27.
A total of 51 accidents were recorded among 38.7 million flights in 2025. The figure was lower than the 54 accidents recorded among 37.9 million flights in 2024 but above the five-year average of 44.
There were eight fatal accidents worldwide in 2025. The figure compares with seven in 2024 and a five-year average of six.
Fatalities increased to 394 in 2025 from 244 in 2024. The five-year average is 198.
According to Willie Walsh, aviation remains the safest form of long-distance travel despite the increase in fatalities.
“Flying is the safest form of long-distance travel. Accidents are extremely rare and each one reminds us to be even more focused on continuous improvement through global standards and collaboration guided by safety data,” Walsh said.
He said the long-term trend continues to show improvement.
Between 2012 and 2016, the industry recorded one fatal accident for every 3.5 million flights. Between 2021 and 2025, the rate improved to one fatal accident for every 5.6 million flights.
The most common accident types globally in 2025 were tail strikes, landing-gear incidents, runway excursions and ground damage.
The report noted that there were no loss-of-control-in-flight accidents during the year. It is only the second time this has happened since 2020. These incidents are historically among the leading causes of fatal aviation accidents.
