China vs Russian Federation: Passenger-kilometers by rail
China
946.50 billion million passenger-km
in 2021
Russian Federation
103.45 billion million passenger-km
in 2021
China rank
1st
Russian Federation rank
4th
Passenger-kilometers by rail over time
- China
- Russian Federation
How they compare
China currently reports 946.50 billion million passenger-km against 103.45 billion million passenger-km in Russian Federation, a difference of 843.05 billion million passenger-km.
That makes China's figure about 9.1 times Russian Federation's.
Across all 27 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and Russian Federation ranks 4th of 101 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Russian Federation | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 362.91 billion million passenger-km | 162.08 billion million passenger-km | 200.82 billion million passenger-km | China |
| 2000s | 587.29 billion million passenger-km | 163.72 billion million passenger-km | 423.58 billion million passenger-km | China |
| 2010s | 1.11 trillion million passenger-km | 132.14 billion million passenger-km | 976.57 billion million passenger-km | China |
| 2020s | 637.38 billion million passenger-km | 90.79 billion million passenger-km | 546.58 billion million passenger-km | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher passenger-kilometers by rail, China or Russian Federation?
- China, at 946.50 billion million passenger-km against 103.45 billion million passenger-km in Russian Federation as of 2021.
- What is the difference in passenger-kilometers by rail between China and Russian Federation?
- 843.05 billion million passenger-km, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Russian Federation?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2021.
- How do China and Russian Federation rank globally for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- China ranks 1st and Russian Federation ranks 4th of 101 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Passenger-kilometers by rail. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The number of passengers transported by rail, multiplied by the kilometers traveled. This is measured in passenger-kilometers.