France vs South Korea: Passenger-kilometers by rail

France
86.85 billion million passenger-km
in 2021
South Korea
100.38 billion million passenger-km
in 2019
France rank
6th
South Korea rank
5th

Passenger-kilometers by rail over time

  • France
  • South Korea
025.0B50.0B75.0B100.0B199520082021

How they compare

South Korea currently reports 100.38 billion million passenger-km against 86.85 billion million passenger-km in France, a difference of 13.53 billion million passenger-km.

That makes South Korea's figure about 1.2 times France's.

Across all 25 years both countries report, France has been ahead every year.

France ranks 6th and South Korea ranks 5th of 101 countries.

France has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade France South Korea Difference Ahead
1990s 71.39 billion million passenger-km 43.70 billion million passenger-km 27.68 billion million passenger-km France
2000s 91.20 billion million passenger-km 54.25 billion million passenger-km 36.95 billion million passenger-km France
2010s 106.35 billion million passenger-km 76.35 billion million passenger-km 30.00 billion million passenger-km France

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher passenger-kilometers by rail, France or South Korea?
South Korea, at 100.38 billion million passenger-km against 86.85 billion million passenger-km in France as of 2019.
What is the difference in passenger-kilometers by rail between France and South Korea?
13.53 billion million passenger-km, with South Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and South Korea?
25 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2019.
How do France and South Korea rank globally for passenger-kilometers by rail?
France ranks 6th and South Korea ranks 5th 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

Indicator
Passenger-kilometers by rail
Unit
million passenger-km
Source
International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
101 places, 2,125 data points, 1995–2021
Last refreshed

The number of passengers transported by rail, multiplied by the kilometers traveled. This is measured in passenger-kilometers.