Japan vs South Korea: Passenger-kilometers by rail
Japan
263.21 billion million passenger-km
in 2020
South Korea
100.38 billion million passenger-km
in 2019
Japan rank
2nd
South Korea rank
5th
Passenger-kilometers by rail over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 263.21 billion million passenger-km against 100.38 billion million passenger-km in South Korea, a difference of 162.83 billion million passenger-km.
That makes Japan's figure about 2.6 times South Korea's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 2nd and South Korea ranks 5th of 101 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 394.31 billion million passenger-km | 43.70 billion million passenger-km | 350.60 billion million passenger-km | Japan |
| 2000s | 391.31 billion million passenger-km | 54.25 billion million passenger-km | 337.06 billion million passenger-km | Japan |
| 2010s | 419.46 billion million passenger-km | 76.35 billion million passenger-km | 343.11 billion million passenger-km | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher passenger-kilometers by rail, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 263.21 billion million passenger-km against 100.38 billion million passenger-km in South Korea as of 2020.
- What is the difference in passenger-kilometers by rail between Japan and South Korea?
- 162.83 billion million passenger-km, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2019.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Japan ranks 2nd 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.