Passenger-kilometers by rail in China
China: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 946.50 billion million passenger-km in 2021. ▲ Rising
Passenger-kilometers by rail in China, 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
China recorded 946.50 billion million passenger-km for passenger-kilometers by rail in 2021.
The figure is up 188.3% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in China peaked at 1.44 trillion million passenger-km in 2019 and was at its lowest, 328.25 billion million passenger-km, in 2020.
That places China 1st out of 101 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Passenger-kilometers by rail in China, year by year
| Year | million passenger-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 354.26 billion million passenger-km | — |
| 1996 | 332.20 billion million passenger-km | -6.2% |
| 1997 | 354.35 billion million passenger-km | +6.7% |
| 1998 | 369.10 billion million passenger-km | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 404.63 billion million passenger-km | +9.6% |
| 2000 | 441.47 billion million passenger-km | +9.1% |
| 2001 | 463.65 billion million passenger-km | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 480.31 billion million passenger-km | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 462.28 billion million passenger-km | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 551.20 billion million passenger-km | +19.2% |
| 2005 | 583.32 billion million passenger-km | +5.8% |
| 2006 | 635.33 billion million passenger-km | +8.9% |
| 2007 | 689.62 billion million passenger-km | +8.5% |
| 2008 | 777.86 billion million passenger-km | +12.8% |
| 2009 | 787.89 billion million passenger-km | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 791.16 billion million passenger-km | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 921.54 billion million passenger-km | +16.5% |
| 2012 | 940.25 billion million passenger-km | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 1.01 trillion million passenger-km | +7.2% |
| 2014 | 1.09 trillion million passenger-km | +8.1% |
| 2015 | 1.11 trillion million passenger-km | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 1.16 trillion million passenger-km | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 1.27 trillion million passenger-km | +9.2% |
| 2018 | 1.36 trillion million passenger-km | +7.5% |
| 2019 | 1.44 trillion million passenger-km | +5.6% |
| 2020 | 328.25 billion million passenger-km | -77.2% |
| 2021 | 946.50 billion million passenger-km | +188.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 946.50 billion million passenger-km is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 503.54 million million passenger-km, 1879.7× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- China's 946.50 billion million passenger-km is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.16 billion million passenger-km, 227.4× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Passenger-kilometers by rail in China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +188.3% | 328.25 billion million passenger-km | 946.50 billion million passenger-km |
| 2020 | -77.2% | 1.44 trillion million passenger-km | 328.25 billion million passenger-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 362.91 billion million passenger-km | 332.20 billion million passenger-km | 404.63 billion million passenger-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 587.29 billion million passenger-km | 441.47 billion million passenger-km | 787.89 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.11 trillion million passenger-km | 791.16 billion million passenger-km | 1.44 trillion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 637.38 billion million passenger-km | 328.25 billion million passenger-km | 946.50 billion million passenger-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is passenger-kilometers by rail in China?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in China was 946.50 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 1.44 trillion million passenger-km in 2019.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 328.25 billion million passenger-km in 2020.
- How does China rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- China ranks 1st out of 101 countries with data for 2021.
- Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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.