More young men are killed in road accidents in Greece, proportionately, than in any of the original 15 European Union states except Portugal, but Greece has fewer suicides, figures showed yesterday.

According to Eurostat’s figures for 2001 to 2003, Greece recorded 13.8 deaths of men under 20 per 100,000 of the population. Portugal ranked top with 14.2 deaths per 100,000. The EU average is 9.1 deaths per 100,000.

The survey also revealed a high proportion of deaths from cancer of the respiratory system among Greek men, with 116 deaths of men aged 45-64 per 100,000. Just 17 deaths per 100,000 were recorded for Greek women. The EU average is 105.7 deaths per 100,000.

Greece has the lowest figures for breast cancer fatalities, with 38 deaths for every 100,000 women as compared to an EU average of 48 per 100,000. Greece also has the lowest rate of suicides in the EU, with five men and one woman recorded per 100,000 as compared to EU averages of 20.7 and 4.9.