Passenger-kilometers by rail in Japan
Japan: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 263.21 billion million passenger-km in 2020. ▬ Flat
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Japan, 1995–2020
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 Japan is 263.21 billion million passenger-km, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 39.5% on the previous year and down 33.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in Japan peaked at 441.61 billion million passenger-km in 2018 and was at its lowest, 263.21 billion million passenger-km, in 2020.
That places Japan 2nd out of 101 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Japan, year by year
| Year | million passenger-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 400.08 billion million passenger-km | — |
| 1996 | 402.16 billion million passenger-km | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 395.28 billion million passenger-km | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 388.92 billion million passenger-km | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 385.10 billion million passenger-km | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 384.29 billion million passenger-km | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 385.40 billion million passenger-km | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 382.24 billion million passenger-km | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 385.01 billion million passenger-km | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 385.16 billion million passenger-km | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 391.21 billion million passenger-km | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 395.91 billion million passenger-km | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 405.54 billion million passenger-km | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 404.58 billion million passenger-km | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 393.76 billion million passenger-km | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 393.47 billion million passenger-km | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 395.07 billion million passenger-km | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 404.40 billion million passenger-km | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 414.39 billion million passenger-km | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 413.97 billion million passenger-km | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 427.49 billion million passenger-km | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 431.80 billion million passenger-km | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 437.36 billion million passenger-km | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 441.61 billion million passenger-km | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 435.06 billion million passenger-km | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 263.21 billion million passenger-km | -39.5% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 263.21 billion million passenger-km is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.44 billion million passenger-km, 48.4× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Japan's 263.21 billion million passenger-km is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.16 billion million passenger-km, 63.2× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Passenger-kilometers by rail in Japan 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 | -39.5% | 435.06 billion million passenger-km | 263.21 billion million passenger-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 394.31 billion million passenger-km | 385.10 billion million passenger-km | 402.16 billion million passenger-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 391.31 billion million passenger-km | 382.24 billion million passenger-km | 405.54 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 419.46 billion million passenger-km | 393.47 billion million passenger-km | 441.61 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 263.21 billion million passenger-km | 263.21 billion million passenger-km | 263.21 billion million passenger-km | 1 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More reference data data for Japan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.981 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is passenger-kilometers by rail in Japan?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in Japan was 263.21 billion million passenger-km in 2020, 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 441.61 billion million passenger-km in 2018.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 263.21 billion million passenger-km in 2020.
- How does Japan rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Japan ranks 2nd out of 101 countries with data for 2020.
- Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Japan 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 — 26 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.