Passenger-kilometers by rail in India
India: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 231.13 billion million passenger-km in 2021. ▲ Rising
Passenger-kilometers by rail in India, 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 India is 231.13 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 78.0% on the previous year and down 76.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in India peaked at 1.18 trillion million passenger-km in 2018 and was at its lowest, 231.13 billion million passenger-km, in 2021.
That places India 3rd 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 360.43 billion million passenger-km | 319.37 billion million passenger-km | 403.88 billion million passenger-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 593.15 billion million passenger-km | 430.67 billion million passenger-km | 838.03 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.09 trillion million passenger-km | 903.47 billion million passenger-km | 1.18 trillion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 640.93 billion million passenger-km | 231.13 billion million passenger-km | 1.05 trillion million passenger-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.6189 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0088 °C (2026)
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- Winter temperature anomalies -0.2053 °C (2025)
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- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is passenger-kilometers by rail in India?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in India was 231.13 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 1.18 trillion million passenger-km in 2018.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 231.13 billion million passenger-km in 2021.
- How does India rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- India ranks 3rd out of 101 countries with data for 2021.
- Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 76.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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.