Record number of wildlife accidents in Sweden 2023

The number of wildlife accidents increased by almost 3,000 in 2023 compared to the previous year. 89% of the accidents involved deer, fallow deer and wild boar.

In 2023, 175 otter collisions were recorded in Sweden, a significant increase in line with the growth of the otter population in recent years. In comparison, only 12 otters were hit in 2011. A similar trend can be observed for fallow deer, where the number of animals hit rose from 900 in 2011 to 5,700 last year.

Over the past five years, the number of wildlife accidents has exceeded 60,000 per year, or about seven accidents per hour. In 2023, the number reached a record high of 68,697, according to annual statistics from the National Wildlife Accident Council, Nationella viltolycksrådet.

In addition to fallow deer, deer collisions have also increased from 30,000 12 years ago to 49,500 in 2023. Wild boar collisions also increased from 2,600 in 2011 to 5,800 last year. Together, these three species accounted for 89% of all wildlife collisions in Sweden last year.

At the time of writing, there have been 3,728 wildlife accidents so far this year, of which 2,606 involved deer, 473 elk and 283 wild boar.

According to Johan Rydlöv, an expert at the Swedish Transport Administration, the increase in accidents since around 2010 is due to an increase in both vehicles and wildlife within Sweden’s borders.