Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Germany
Germany: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 12.77 billion million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
12.77 billion million ton-km
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
5th
of 180 countries
All-time high
12.86 billion million ton-km
in 2022
All-time low
484.50 million million ton-km
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Germany, 1970–2023
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
In 2023, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Germany stood at 12.77 billion million ton-km.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 74.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Germany peaked at 12.86 billion million ton-km in 2022 and was at its lowest, 484.50 million million ton-km, in 1970.
Germany ranks 5th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Germany, year by year
| Year | million ton-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 484.50 million million ton-km | — |
| 1971 | 532.90 million million ton-km | +10.0% |
| 1972 | 656.60 million million ton-km | +23.2% |
| 1973 | 826.80 million million ton-km | +25.9% |
| 1974 | 941.00 million million ton-km | +13.8% |
| 1975 | 920.70 million million ton-km | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 1.04 billion million ton-km | +13.0% |
| 1977 | 1.20 billion million ton-km | +15.7% |
| 1978 | 1.34 billion million ton-km | +11.7% |
| 1979 | 1.51 billion million ton-km | +12.5% |
| 1980 | 1.51 billion million ton-km | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 1.50 billion million ton-km | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 1.59 billion million ton-km | +6.5% |
| 1983 | 1.94 billion million ton-km | +21.9% |
| 1984 | 2.24 billion million ton-km | +15.2% |
| 1985 | 2.38 billion million ton-km | +6.4% |
| 1986 | 2.83 billion million ton-km | +18.9% |
| 1987 | 3.25 billion million ton-km | +14.9% |
| 1988 | 3.47 billion million ton-km | +6.8% |
| 1989 | 3.84 billion million ton-km | +10.7% |
| 1990 | 3.99 billion million ton-km | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 4.11 billion million ton-km | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 4.29 billion million ton-km | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 4.64 billion million ton-km | +8.2% |
| 1994 | 5.37 billion million ton-km | +15.8% |
| 1995 | 5.84 billion million ton-km | +8.6% |
| 1996 | 6.04 billion million ton-km | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 6.18 billion million ton-km | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 6.23 billion million ton-km | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 6.61 billion million ton-km | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 7.13 billion million ton-km | +7.8% |
| 2001 | 7.03 billion million ton-km | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 7.20 billion million ton-km | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 7.30 billion million ton-km | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 8.07 billion million ton-km | +10.6% |
| 2005 | 7.72 billion million ton-km | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 8.13 billion million ton-km | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 8.53 billion million ton-km | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 8.35 billion million ton-km | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 10.19 billion million ton-km | +22.0% |
| 2010 | 7.49 billion million ton-km | -26.5% |
| 2011 | 7.72 billion million ton-km | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 7.24 billion million ton-km | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 7.34 billion million ton-km | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 7.18 billion million ton-km | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 6.99 billion million ton-km | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 6.94 billion million ton-km | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 7.90 billion million ton-km | +13.8% |
| 2018 | 7.97 billion million ton-km | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 7.76 billion million ton-km | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 9.17 billion million ton-km | +18.1% |
| 2021 | 11.53 billion million ton-km | +25.8% |
| 2022 | 12.86 billion million ton-km | +11.5% |
| 2023 | 12.77 billion million ton-km | -0.7% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 12.77 billion million ton-km is above the median for high income countries, which is 266.33 million million ton-km, 47.9× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Germany's 12.77 billion million ton-km is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 62.72 million million ton-km, 203.5× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 946.55 million million ton-km | 484.50 million million ton-km | 1.51 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.45 billion million ton-km | 1.50 billion million ton-km | 3.84 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.33 billion million ton-km | 3.99 billion million ton-km | 6.61 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.96 billion million ton-km | 7.03 billion million ton-km | 10.19 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.45 billion million ton-km | 6.94 billion million ton-km | 7.97 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.58 billion million ton-km | 9.17 billion million ton-km | 12.86 billion million ton-km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More reference data data for Germany
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 15.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 9.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 80.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 10.56 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tonne-kilometers of air freight in Germany?
- Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Germany was 12.77 billion million ton-km in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 12.86 billion million ton-km in 2022.
- What is the lowest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 484.50 million million ton-km in 1970.
- How does Germany rank for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
- Germany ranks 5th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tonne-kilometers of air freight rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 74.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tonne-kilometers of air freight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tonnes times kilometers traveled.