India vs Japan: Passenger-kilometers by rail
India
231.13 billion million passenger-km
in 2021
Japan
263.21 billion million passenger-km
in 2020
India rank
3rd
Japan rank
2nd
Passenger-kilometers by rail over time
- India
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 263.21 billion million passenger-km against 231.13 billion million passenger-km in India, a difference of 32.09 billion million passenger-km.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.1 times India's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 26 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Japan ahead.
India ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 2nd of 101 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, India averaged higher in 3 and Japan in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 360.43 billion million passenger-km | 394.31 billion million passenger-km | 33.88 billion million passenger-km | Japan |
| 2000s | 593.15 billion million passenger-km | 391.31 billion million passenger-km | 201.84 billion million passenger-km | India |
| 2010s | 1.09 trillion million passenger-km | 419.46 billion million passenger-km | 669.58 billion million passenger-km | India |
| 2020s | 1.05 trillion million passenger-km | 263.21 billion million passenger-km | 787.53 billion million passenger-km | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher passenger-kilometers by rail, India or Japan?
- Japan, at 263.21 billion million passenger-km against 231.13 billion million passenger-km in India as of 2020.
- What is the difference in passenger-kilometers by rail between India and Japan?
- 32.09 billion million passenger-km, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and Japan?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
- How do India and Japan rank globally for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- India ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 2nd 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.