Passenger-kilometers by rail in Poland
Poland: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 15.84 billion million passenger-km in 2021. ▼ Falling
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Poland, 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 Poland is 15.84 billion million passenger-km, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 26.9% on the previous year and down 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in Poland peaked at 26.64 billion million passenger-km in 1995 and was at its lowest, 12.49 billion million passenger-km, in 2020.
That places Poland 15th out of 101 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Poland, year by year
| Year | million passenger-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 26.64 billion million passenger-km | — |
| 1996 | 26.57 billion million passenger-km | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 25.81 billion million passenger-km | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 25.66 billion million passenger-km | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 26.20 billion million passenger-km | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 24.09 billion million passenger-km | -8.0% |
| 2001 | 22.47 billion million passenger-km | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 20.75 billion million passenger-km | -7.7% |
| 2003 | 19.64 billion million passenger-km | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 18.69 billion million passenger-km | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 18.16 billion million passenger-km | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 18.55 billion million passenger-km | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 19.86 billion million passenger-km | +7.0% |
| 2008 | 20.20 billion million passenger-km | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 18.64 billion million passenger-km | -7.7% |
| 2010 | 17.92 billion million passenger-km | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 18.18 billion million passenger-km | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 17.83 billion million passenger-km | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 16.80 billion million passenger-km | -5.8% |
| 2014 | 16.02 billion million passenger-km | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 17.37 billion million passenger-km | +8.4% |
| 2016 | 19.18 billion million passenger-km | +10.4% |
| 2017 | 20.32 billion million passenger-km | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 21.04 billion million passenger-km | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 22.06 billion million passenger-km | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 12.49 billion million passenger-km | -43.4% |
| 2021 | 15.84 billion million passenger-km | +26.9% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 15.84 billion million passenger-km is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.44 billion million passenger-km, 2.9× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Poland's 15.84 billion million passenger-km is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.62 billion million passenger-km, 6.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Passenger-kilometers by rail in Poland 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 | -43.4% | 22.06 billion million passenger-km | 12.49 billion million passenger-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.17 billion million passenger-km | 25.66 billion million passenger-km | 26.64 billion million passenger-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 20.10 billion million passenger-km | 18.16 billion million passenger-km | 24.09 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.67 billion million passenger-km | 16.02 billion million passenger-km | 22.06 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.17 billion million passenger-km | 12.49 billion million passenger-km | 15.84 billion million passenger-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near Poland
- 12 United Kingdom 24.19 billion million passenger-km compare
- 13 Spain 17.00 billion million passenger-km compare
- 14 Brazil 16.49 billion million passenger-km compare
- 16 Switzerland 14.31 billion million passenger-km compare
- 17 United States 12.46 billion million passenger-km compare
- 18 Iran 11.23 billion million passenger-km compare
More reference data data for Poland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.499 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 9.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8896 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 9.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 43.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.84 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is passenger-kilometers by rail in Poland?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in Poland was 15.84 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 Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 26.64 billion million passenger-km in 1995.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.49 billion million passenger-km in 2020.
- How does Poland rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Poland ranks 15th out of 101 countries with data for 2021.
- Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Poland 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.