Passenger-kilometers by rail in Australia
Australia: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 9.33 billion million passenger-km in 2021. ▲ Rising
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Australia, 1995–2021
Source: International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million passenger-km.
Analysis
The most recent figure for passenger-kilometers by rail in Australia is 9.33 billion million passenger-km, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 38.0% on the previous year and down 38.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in Australia peaked at 18.84 billion million passenger-km in 2019 and was at its lowest, 9.33 billion million passenger-km, in 2021.
That places Australia 23rd out of 101 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.83 billion million passenger-km | 10.34 billion million passenger-km | 11.16 billion million passenger-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 12.70 billion million passenger-km | 11.55 billion million passenger-km | 15.00 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.34 billion million passenger-km | 14.99 billion million passenger-km | 18.84 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.19 billion million passenger-km | 9.33 billion million passenger-km | 15.05 billion million passenger-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 20 Ukraine 10.70 billion million passenger-km compare
- 21 Turkey 10.68 billion million passenger-km compare
- 22 Bangladesh 10.04 billion million passenger-km compare
- 24 Kazakhstan 8.65 billion million passenger-km compare
- 25 Austria 8.43 billion million passenger-km compare
- 26 Argentina 8.36 billion million passenger-km compare
More reference data data for Australia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4864 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 148.46 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 passenger-kilometers by rail in Australia?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in Australia was 9.33 billion million passenger-km in 2021, according to International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 18.84 billion million passenger-km in 2019.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.33 billion million passenger-km in 2021.
- How does Australia rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Australia ranks 23rd out of 101 countries with data for 2021.
- Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Passenger-kilometers by rail. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of passengers transported by rail, multiplied by the kilometers traveled. This is measured in passenger-kilometers.