Passenger-kilometers by rail in Spain
Spain: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 17.00 billion million passenger-km in 2021. ▲ Rising
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Spain, 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 Spain stood at 17.00 billion million passenger-km.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 41.7% on the previous year and down 25.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in Spain peaked at 28.84 billion million passenger-km in 2019 and was at its lowest, 12.00 billion million passenger-km, in 2020.
That places Spain 13th out of 101 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Spain, year by year
| Year | million passenger-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 16.59 billion million passenger-km | — |
| 1996 | 16.80 billion million passenger-km | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 17.88 billion million passenger-km | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 18.87 billion million passenger-km | +5.5% |
| 1999 | 19.66 billion million passenger-km | +4.2% |
| 2000 | 20.14 billion million passenger-km | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 20.83 billion million passenger-km | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 21.21 billion million passenger-km | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 21.13 billion million passenger-km | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 20.39 billion million passenger-km | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 21.62 billion million passenger-km | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 22.11 billion million passenger-km | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 21.86 billion million passenger-km | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 23.97 billion million passenger-km | +9.7% |
| 2009 | 23.14 billion million passenger-km | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 22.46 billion million passenger-km | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 22.80 billion million passenger-km | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 22.48 billion million passenger-km | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 23.79 billion million passenger-km | +5.8% |
| 2014 | 25.07 billion million passenger-km | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 26.14 billion million passenger-km | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 26.67 billion million passenger-km | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 27.49 billion million passenger-km | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 28.43 billion million passenger-km | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 28.84 billion million passenger-km | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 12.00 billion million passenger-km | -58.4% |
| 2021 | 17.00 billion million passenger-km | +41.7% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 17.00 billion million passenger-km is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.44 billion million passenger-km, 3.1× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Spain's 17.00 billion million passenger-km is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.62 billion million passenger-km, 6.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Passenger-kilometers by rail in Spain 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 | -58.4% | 28.84 billion million passenger-km | 12.00 billion million passenger-km |
| 2021 | +41.7% | 12.00 billion million passenger-km | 17.00 billion million passenger-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.96 billion million passenger-km | 16.59 billion million passenger-km | 19.66 billion million passenger-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 21.64 billion million passenger-km | 20.14 billion million passenger-km | 23.97 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.42 billion million passenger-km | 22.46 billion million passenger-km | 28.84 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.50 billion million passenger-km | 12.00 billion million passenger-km | 17.00 billion million passenger-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 10 Italy 27.69 billion million passenger-km compare
- 11 Pakistan 24.90 billion million passenger-km compare
- 12 United Kingdom 24.19 billion million passenger-km compare
- 14 Brazil 16.49 billion million passenger-km compare
- 15 Poland 15.84 billion million passenger-km compare
- 16 Switzerland 14.31 billion million passenger-km compare
More reference data data for Spain
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.898 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 52.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.89 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is passenger-kilometers by rail in Spain?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in Spain was 17.00 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 28.84 billion million passenger-km in 2019.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.00 billion million passenger-km in 2020.
- How does Spain rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Spain ranks 13th out of 101 countries with data for 2021.
- Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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.