Passenger-kilometers by rail in Switzerland

Switzerland: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 14.31 billion million passenger-km in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
14.31 billion million passenger-km
Change on year
up 7.3%
World rank
16th
of 101 countries
All-time high
21.74 billion million passenger-km
in 2019
All-time low
11.71 billion million passenger-km
in 1995
Years of data
27
1995–2021

Passenger-kilometers by rail in Switzerland, 1995–2021

05.0B10.0B15.0B20.0B1995200820211995: 11.7B million passenger-km1996: 11.9B million passenger-km1997: 12.1B million passenger-km1998: 12.1B million passenger-km1999: 12.5B million passenger-km2000: 12.6B million passenger-km2001: 13.3B million passenger-km2002: 14.1B million passenger-km2003: 14.5B million passenger-km2004: 14.9B million passenger-km2005: 16.1B million passenger-km2006: 16.6B million passenger-km2007: 17.4B million passenger-km2008: 17.8B million passenger-km2009: 18.6B million passenger-km2010: 19.2B million passenger-km2011: 19.5B million passenger-km2012: 19.3B million passenger-km2013: 19.4B million passenger-km2014: 20.0B million passenger-km2015: 20.4B million passenger-km2016: 20.8B million passenger-km2017: 20.9B million passenger-km2018: 20.6B million passenger-km2019: 21.7B million passenger-km2020: 13.3B million passenger-km2021: 14.3B million passenger-km

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 Switzerland stood at 14.31 billion million passenger-km.

The figure is up 7.3% on the previous year and down 26.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in Switzerland peaked at 21.74 billion million passenger-km in 2019 and was at its lowest, 11.71 billion million passenger-km, in 1995.

Switzerland ranks 16th of 101 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 12.06 billion million passenger-km 11.71 billion million passenger-km 12.50 billion million passenger-km 5
2000s 15.60 billion million passenger-km 12.62 billion million passenger-km 18.57 billion million passenger-km 10
2010s 20.18 billion million passenger-km 19.18 billion million passenger-km 21.74 billion million passenger-km 10
2020s 13.82 billion million passenger-km 13.33 billion million passenger-km 14.31 billion million passenger-km 2

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 13 Spain 17.00 billion million passenger-km compare
  2. 14 Brazil 16.49 billion million passenger-km compare
  3. 15 Poland 15.84 billion million passenger-km compare
  4. 17 United States 12.46 billion million passenger-km compare
  5. 18 Iran 11.23 billion million passenger-km compare
  6. 19 Netherlands 10.90 billion million passenger-km compare

See the full ranking of 101 places →

More reference data data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is passenger-kilometers by rail in Switzerland?
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Switzerland was 14.31 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 Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 21.74 billion million passenger-km in 2019.
What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 11.71 billion million passenger-km in 1995.
How does Switzerland rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
Switzerland ranks 16th out of 101 countries with data for 2021.
Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland 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

Indicator
Passenger-kilometers by rail
Unit
million passenger-km
Source
International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
101 places, 2,125 data points, 1995–2021
Last refreshed

The number of passengers transported by rail, multiplied by the kilometers traveled. This is measured in passenger-kilometers.