China vs Japan: Annual freight transport
China
10.92 million Tonnes-kilometres
in 2023
Japan
153,059 Tonnes-kilometres
in 2024
China rank
1st
Japan rank
3rd
Annual freight transport over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 10.92 million Tonnes-kilometres against 153,059 Tonnes-kilometres in Japan, a difference of 10.76 million Tonnes-kilometres.
That makes China's figure about 71.3 times Japan's.
Across all 37 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 3rd of 21 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 248,700 Tonnes-kilometres | 211,971 Tonnes-kilometres | 36,729 Tonnes-kilometres | China |
| 1980s | 443,050 Tonnes-kilometres | 213,996 Tonnes-kilometres | 229,054 Tonnes-kilometres | China |
| 1990s | 1.16 million Tonnes-kilometres | 238,633 Tonnes-kilometres | 917,047 Tonnes-kilometres | China |
| 2000s | 3.16 million Tonnes-kilometres | 213,629 Tonnes-kilometres | 2.95 million Tonnes-kilometres | China |
| 2010s | 5.27 million Tonnes-kilometres | 179,109 Tonnes-kilometres | 5.09 million Tonnes-kilometres | China |
| 2020s | 9.97 million Tonnes-kilometres | 158,074 Tonnes-kilometres | 9.81 million Tonnes-kilometres | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual freight transport, China or Japan?
- China, at 10.92 million Tonnes-kilometres against 153,059 Tonnes-kilometres in Japan as of 2023.
- What is the difference in annual freight transport between China and Japan?
- 10.76 million Tonnes-kilometres, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 37 years are reported by both, from 1978 to 2023.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for annual freight transport?
- China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 3rd of 21 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Annual freight transport. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Freight transport by rail, road, inland waterways and pipeline.