Spain vs United Kingdom: Passenger-kilometers by rail
Spain
17.00 billion million passenger-km
in 2021
United Kingdom
24.19 billion million passenger-km
in 2020
Spain rank
13th
United Kingdom rank
12th
Passenger-kilometers by rail over time
- Spain
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 24.19 billion million passenger-km against 17.00 billion million passenger-km in Spain, a difference of 7.19 billion million passenger-km.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.4 times Spain's.
Across all 26 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.
Spain ranks 13th and United Kingdom ranks 12th of 101 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Spain | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.96 billion million passenger-km | 41.90 billion million passenger-km | 23.94 billion million passenger-km | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 21.64 billion million passenger-km | 52.44 billion million passenger-km | 30.80 billion million passenger-km | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 25.42 billion million passenger-km | 73.99 billion million passenger-km | 48.57 billion million passenger-km | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 12.00 billion million passenger-km | 24.19 billion million passenger-km | 12.19 billion million passenger-km | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher passenger-kilometers by rail, Spain or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 24.19 billion million passenger-km against 17.00 billion million passenger-km in Spain as of 2020.
- What is the difference in passenger-kilometers by rail between Spain and United Kingdom?
- 7.19 billion million passenger-km, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and United Kingdom?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
- How do Spain and United Kingdom rank globally for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Spain ranks 13th and United Kingdom ranks 12th 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.