Passenger-kilometers by rail in Belgium

Belgium: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 6.97 billion million passenger-km in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
6.97 billion million passenger-km
Change on year
down 5.8%
World rank
29th
of 101 countries
All-time high
11.00 billion million passenger-km
in 2011
All-time low
6.76 billion million passenger-km
in 1995
Years of data
27
1995–2021

Passenger-kilometers by rail in Belgium, 1995–2021

02.5B5.0B7.5B10.0B1995200820211995: 6.8B million passenger-km1996: 6.8B million passenger-km1997: 7.0B million passenger-km1998: 7.1B million passenger-km1999: 7.4B million passenger-km2000: 7.8B million passenger-km2001: 8.0B million passenger-km2002: 8.3B million passenger-km2003: 8.3B million passenger-km2004: 8.7B million passenger-km2005: 9.2B million passenger-km2006: 9.6B million passenger-km2007: 9.9B million passenger-km2008: 10.4B million passenger-km2009: 10.4B million passenger-km2010: 10.4B million passenger-km2011: 11.0B million passenger-km2012: 10.9B million passenger-km2013: 10.6B million passenger-km2014: 11.0B million passenger-km2015: 10.3B million passenger-km2016: 10.0B million passenger-km2017: 10.2B million passenger-km2018: 10.5B million passenger-km2019: 10.8B million passenger-km2020: 7.4B million passenger-km2021: 7.0B million passenger-km

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 26 Argentina 8.36 billion million passenger-km compare
  2. 27 Sweden 8.01 billion million passenger-km compare
  3. 28 Sri Lanka 7.41 billion million passenger-km compare
  4. 30 Czechia 6.82 billion million passenger-km compare
  5. 31 Denmark 6.56 billion million passenger-km compare
  6. 32 Thailand 6.02 billion million passenger-km compare

See the full ranking of 101 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

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

Indicator
Passenger-kilometers by rail
Unit
million passenger-km
Source
International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
101 places, 2,125 data points, 1995–2021
Last refreshed

The number of passengers transported by rail, multiplied by the kilometers traveled. This is measured in passenger-kilometers.