China vs United States: Annual freight transport
China
10.92 million Tonnes-kilometres
in 2023
United States
226,442 Tonnes-kilometres
in 2021
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Annual freight transport over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 10.92 million Tonnes-kilometres against 226,442 Tonnes-kilometres in United States, a difference of 10.69 million Tonnes-kilometres.
That makes China's figure about 48.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 35 shared years of data; in 1978 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 21 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 248,700 Tonnes-kilometres | 788,930 Tonnes-kilometres | 540,230 Tonnes-kilometres | United States |
| 1980s | 443,050 Tonnes-kilometres | 906,734 Tonnes-kilometres | 463,684 Tonnes-kilometres | United States |
| 1990s | 1.16 million Tonnes-kilometres | 612,524 Tonnes-kilometres | 543,156 Tonnes-kilometres | China |
| 2000s | 3.16 million Tonnes-kilometres | 365,845 Tonnes-kilometres | 2.80 million Tonnes-kilometres | China |
| 2010s | 5.27 million Tonnes-kilometres | 252,129 Tonnes-kilometres | 5.02 million Tonnes-kilometres | China |
| 2020s | 9.39 million Tonnes-kilometres | 228,322 Tonnes-kilometres | 9.16 million Tonnes-kilometres | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual freight transport, China or United States?
- China, at 10.92 million Tonnes-kilometres against 226,442 Tonnes-kilometres in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in annual freight transport between China and United States?
- 10.69 million Tonnes-kilometres, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1978 to 2021.
- How do China and United States rank globally for annual freight transport?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd 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.