Tonne-kilometers of air freight in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 4.41 billion million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in United Kingdom, 1970–2023
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 4.41 billion million ton-km for tonne-kilometers of air freight in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.8% on the previous year and down 26.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tonne-kilometers of air freight in United Kingdom peaked at 7.62 billion million ton-km in 1996 and was at its lowest, 516.90 million million ton-km, in 1970.
That places United Kingdom 12th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 855.24 million million ton-km | 516.90 million million ton-km | 1.26 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.27 billion million ton-km | 1.43 billion million ton-km | 3.45 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.48 billion million ton-km | 3.83 billion million ton-km | 7.62 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.68 billion million ton-km | 4.55 billion million ton-km | 6.62 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.95 billion million ton-km | 5.42 billion million ton-km | 6.28 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.05 billion million ton-km | 3.67 billion million ton-km | 4.41 billion million ton-km | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.37 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 2.09 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.4402 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies -0.1504 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.74 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 153.13 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tonne-kilometers of air freight in United Kingdom?
- Tonne-kilometers of air freight in United Kingdom was 4.41 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 7.62 billion million ton-km in 1996.
- What is the lowest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 516.90 million million ton-km in 1970.
- How does United Kingdom rank for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
- United Kingdom ranks 12th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tonne-kilometers of air freight rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.
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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.