Passenger-kilometers by rail in Mexico
Mexico: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 466.00 million million passenger-km in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Mexico, 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
Mexico recorded 466.00 million million passenger-km for passenger-kilometers by rail in 2021.
The figure is down 10.9% on the previous year and down 47.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in Mexico peaked at 1.90 billion million passenger-km in 1995 and was at its lowest, 67.00 million million passenger-km, in 2001.
That places Mexico 61st out of 101 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Mexico, year by year
| Year | million passenger-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1.90 billion million passenger-km | — |
| 1996 | 1.80 billion million passenger-km | -5.3% |
| 1997 | 1.51 billion million passenger-km | -16.2% |
| 1998 | 460.00 million million passenger-km | -69.5% |
| 1999 | 254.00 million million passenger-km | -44.8% |
| 2000 | 82.00 million million passenger-km | -67.7% |
| 2001 | 67.00 million million passenger-km | -18.3% |
| 2002 | 69.00 million million passenger-km | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 78.00 million million passenger-km | +13.0% |
| 2004 | 74.00 million million passenger-km | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 73.00 million million passenger-km | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 76.00 million million passenger-km | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 84.00 million million passenger-km | +10.5% |
| 2008 | 178.00 million million passenger-km | +111.9% |
| 2009 | 449.00 million million passenger-km | +152.2% |
| 2010 | 843.00 million million passenger-km | +87.8% |
| 2011 | 891.00 million million passenger-km | +5.7% |
| 2012 | 970.00 million million passenger-km | +8.9% |
| 2013 | 1.04 billion million passenger-km | +6.8% |
| 2014 | 1.15 billion million passenger-km | +11.0% |
| 2015 | 1.41 billion million passenger-km | +22.7% |
| 2016 | 1.48 billion million passenger-km | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 1.55 billion million passenger-km | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 1.59 billion million passenger-km | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 1.57 billion million passenger-km | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 523.00 million million passenger-km | -66.7% |
| 2021 | 466.00 million million passenger-km | -10.9% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 466.00 million million passenger-km is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 503.54 million million passenger-km, 93% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 466.00 million million passenger-km is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.01 billion million passenger-km, 46% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Passenger-kilometers by rail in Mexico 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +152.2% | 178.00 million million passenger-km | 449.00 million million passenger-km |
| 2008 | +111.9% | 84.00 million million passenger-km | 178.00 million million passenger-km |
| 2010 | +87.8% | 449.00 million million passenger-km | 843.00 million million passenger-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.18 billion million passenger-km | 254.00 million million passenger-km | 1.90 billion million passenger-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 123.00 million million passenger-km | 67.00 million million passenger-km | 449.00 million million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.25 billion million passenger-km | 843.00 million million passenger-km | 1.59 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 494.50 million million passenger-km | 466.00 million million passenger-km | 523.00 million million passenger-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
- 58 Canada 536.00 million million passenger-km compare
- 59 Jordan 503.54 million million passenger-km compare
- 60 Tanzania 475.00 million million passenger-km compare
- 62 Philippines 384.00 million million passenger-km compare
- 63 Latvia 360.80 million million passenger-km compare
- 64 Algeria 348.00 million million passenger-km compare
More reference data data for Mexico
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 16.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 32.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 32.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 13.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 84.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 157.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 9.55 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is passenger-kilometers by rail in Mexico?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in Mexico was 466.00 million 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 1.90 billion million passenger-km in 1995.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.00 million million passenger-km in 2001.
- How does Mexico rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Mexico ranks 61st out of 101 countries with data for 2021.
- Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mexico 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.