Passenger-kilometers by rail in Belgium
Belgium: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 6.97 billion million passenger-km in 2021. ▲ Rising
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Belgium, 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
Belgium recorded 6.97 billion million passenger-km for passenger-kilometers by rail in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.8% on the previous year and down 36.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in Belgium peaked at 11.00 billion million passenger-km in 2011 and was at its lowest, 6.76 billion million passenger-km, in 1995.
That places Belgium 29th out of 101 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Belgium, year by year
| Year | million passenger-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 6.76 billion million passenger-km | — |
| 1996 | 6.79 billion million passenger-km | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 6.98 billion million passenger-km | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 7.10 billion million passenger-km | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 7.35 billion million passenger-km | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 7.75 billion million passenger-km | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 8.04 billion million passenger-km | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 8.26 billion million passenger-km | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 8.27 billion million passenger-km | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 8.68 billion million passenger-km | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 9.15 billion million passenger-km | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 9.61 billion million passenger-km | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 9.93 billion million passenger-km | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 10.41 billion million passenger-km | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 10.43 billion million passenger-km | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 10.40 billion million passenger-km | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 11.00 billion million passenger-km | +5.8% |
| 2012 | 10.86 billion million passenger-km | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 10.60 billion million passenger-km | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 10.97 billion million passenger-km | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 10.33 billion million passenger-km | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 10.03 billion million passenger-km | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 10.17 billion million passenger-km | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 10.50 billion million passenger-km | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 10.85 billion million passenger-km | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 7.40 billion million passenger-km | -31.8% |
| 2021 | 6.97 billion million passenger-km | -5.8% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 6.97 billion million passenger-km is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.44 billion million passenger-km, 1.3× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 6.97 billion million passenger-km is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.62 billion million passenger-km, 2.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Passenger-kilometers by rail in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -31.8% | 10.85 billion million passenger-km | 7.40 billion million passenger-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.00 billion million passenger-km | 6.76 billion million passenger-km | 7.35 billion million passenger-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 9.05 billion million passenger-km | 7.75 billion million passenger-km | 10.43 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.57 billion million passenger-km | 10.03 billion million passenger-km | 11.00 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.18 billion million passenger-km | 6.97 billion million passenger-km | 7.40 billion million passenger-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 26 Argentina 8.36 billion million passenger-km compare
- 27 Sweden 8.01 billion million passenger-km compare
- 28 Sri Lanka 7.41 billion million passenger-km compare
- 30 Czechia 6.82 billion million passenger-km compare
- 31 Denmark 6.56 billion million passenger-km compare
- 32 Thailand 6.02 billion million passenger-km compare
More reference data data for Belgium
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9298 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1382 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7526 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is passenger-kilometers by rail in Belgium?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in Belgium was 6.97 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 Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 11.00 billion million passenger-km in 2011.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.76 billion million passenger-km in 1995.
- How does Belgium rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Belgium ranks 29th out of 101 countries with data for 2021.
- Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium 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.