Germany vs South Korea: Passenger-kilometers by rail
Germany
58.82 billion million passenger-km
in 2020
South Korea
100.38 billion million passenger-km
in 2019
Germany rank
7th
South Korea rank
5th
Passenger-kilometers by rail over time
- Germany
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 100.38 billion million passenger-km against 58.82 billion million passenger-km in Germany, a difference of 41.56 billion million passenger-km.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.7 times Germany's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, Germany has been ahead every year.
Germany ranks 7th and South Korea ranks 5th of 101 countries.
Germany has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 72.31 billion million passenger-km | 43.70 billion million passenger-km | 28.61 billion million passenger-km | Germany |
| 2000s | 76.64 billion million passenger-km | 54.25 billion million passenger-km | 22.39 billion million passenger-km | Germany |
| 2010s | 92.02 billion million passenger-km | 76.35 billion million passenger-km | 15.67 billion million passenger-km | Germany |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher passenger-kilometers by rail, Germany or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 100.38 billion million passenger-km against 58.82 billion million passenger-km in Germany as of 2019.
- What is the difference in passenger-kilometers by rail between Germany and South Korea?
- 41.56 billion million passenger-km, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and South Korea?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2019.
- How do Germany and South Korea rank globally for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Germany ranks 7th 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
The number of passengers transported by rail, multiplied by the kilometers traveled. This is measured in passenger-kilometers.