Passenger-kilometers by rail in Portugal
Portugal: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 2.91 billion million passenger-km in 2021. ▼ Falling
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Portugal, 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
In 2021, passenger-kilometers by rail in Portugal stood at 2.91 billion million passenger-km.
That represents a change of up 14.1% on the previous year and down 29.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in Portugal peaked at 4.96 billion million passenger-km in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2.55 billion million passenger-km, in 2020.
Portugal ranks 40th of 101 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Portugal, year by year
| Year | million passenger-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4.87 billion million passenger-km | — |
| 1996 | 4.50 billion million passenger-km | -7.5% |
| 1997 | 4.56 billion million passenger-km | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 4.60 billion million passenger-km | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 4.38 billion million passenger-km | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 3.83 billion million passenger-km | -12.5% |
| 2001 | 3.90 billion million passenger-km | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 3.93 billion million passenger-km | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 3.58 billion million passenger-km | -8.7% |
| 2004 | 3.63 billion million passenger-km | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 3.75 billion million passenger-km | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 3.88 billion million passenger-km | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 3.99 billion million passenger-km | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 4.21 billion million passenger-km | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 4.15 billion million passenger-km | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 4.11 billion million passenger-km | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 4.14 billion million passenger-km | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 3.80 billion million passenger-km | -8.2% |
| 2013 | 3.65 billion million passenger-km | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 3.85 billion million passenger-km | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 3.96 billion million passenger-km | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 4.15 billion million passenger-km | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 4.39 billion million passenger-km | +5.9% |
| 2018 | 4.49 billion million passenger-km | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 4.96 billion million passenger-km | +10.6% |
| 2020 | 2.55 billion million passenger-km | -48.6% |
| 2021 | 2.91 billion million passenger-km | +14.1% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 2.91 billion million passenger-km is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.44 billion million passenger-km, 54% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 2.91 billion million passenger-km is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.62 billion million passenger-km, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Passenger-kilometers by rail in Portugal 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 | -48.6% | 4.96 billion million passenger-km | 2.55 billion million passenger-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.58 billion million passenger-km | 4.38 billion million passenger-km | 4.87 billion million passenger-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 3.89 billion million passenger-km | 3.58 billion million passenger-km | 4.21 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.15 billion million passenger-km | 3.65 billion million passenger-km | 4.96 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.73 billion million passenger-km | 2.55 billion million passenger-km | 2.91 billion million passenger-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 37 Myanmar 4.16 billion million passenger-km compare
- 38 South Africa 3.50 billion million passenger-km compare
- 39 Uzbekistan 3.13 billion million passenger-km compare
- 41 Finland 2.90 billion million passenger-km compare
- 42 Turkmenistan 2.34 billion million passenger-km compare
- 43 Slovakia 2.05 billion million passenger-km compare
More reference data data for Portugal
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5144 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4372 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0472 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2572 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is passenger-kilometers by rail in Portugal?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in Portugal was 2.91 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 Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 4.96 billion million passenger-km in 2019.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.55 billion million passenger-km in 2020.
- How does Portugal rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Portugal ranks 40th out of 101 countries with data for 2021.
- Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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.