Passenger-kilometers by rail in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 24.19 billion million passenger-km in 2020. ▲ Rising
Passenger-kilometers by rail in United Kingdom, 1995–2020
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 United Kingdom is 24.19 billion million passenger-km, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 70.7% on the previous year and down 61.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in United Kingdom peaked at 82.55 billion million passenger-km in 2019 and was at its lowest, 24.19 billion million passenger-km, in 2020.
That places United Kingdom 12th out of 101 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Passenger-kilometers by rail in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | million passenger-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 37.20 billion million passenger-km | — |
| 1996 | 39.20 billion million passenger-km | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 42.20 billion million passenger-km | +7.7% |
| 1998 | 44.10 billion million passenger-km | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 46.80 billion million passenger-km | +6.1% |
| 2000 | 46.51 billion million passenger-km | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 47.47 billion million passenger-km | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 47.99 billion million passenger-km | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 49.22 billion million passenger-km | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 50.02 billion million passenger-km | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 51.36 billion million passenger-km | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 53.90 billion million passenger-km | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 57.41 billion million passenger-km | +6.5% |
| 2008 | 60.22 billion million passenger-km | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 60.34 billion million passenger-km | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 63.05 billion million passenger-km | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 66.10 billion million passenger-km | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 69.01 billion million passenger-km | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 70.70 billion million passenger-km | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 73.72 billion million passenger-km | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 76.06 billion million passenger-km | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 78.23 billion million passenger-km | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 79.50 billion million passenger-km | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 80.98 billion million passenger-km | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 82.55 billion million passenger-km | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 24.19 billion million passenger-km | -70.7% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 24.19 billion million passenger-km is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.44 billion million passenger-km, 4.5× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 24.19 billion million passenger-km is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.62 billion million passenger-km, 9.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Passenger-kilometers by rail in United Kingdom 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 | -70.7% | 82.55 billion million passenger-km | 24.19 billion million passenger-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 41.90 billion million passenger-km | 37.20 billion million passenger-km | 46.80 billion million passenger-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 52.44 billion million passenger-km | 46.51 billion million passenger-km | 60.34 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.99 billion million passenger-km | 63.05 billion million passenger-km | 82.55 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.19 billion million passenger-km | 24.19 billion million passenger-km | 24.19 billion million passenger-km | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 9 Indonesia 29.07 billion million passenger-km compare
- 10 Italy 27.69 billion million passenger-km compare
- 11 Pakistan 24.90 billion million passenger-km compare
- 13 Spain 17.00 billion million passenger-km compare
- 14 Brazil 16.49 billion million passenger-km compare
- 15 Poland 15.84 billion million passenger-km compare
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is passenger-kilometers by rail in United Kingdom?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in United Kingdom was 24.19 billion million passenger-km in 2020, 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 82.55 billion million passenger-km in 2019.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.19 billion million passenger-km in 2020.
- How does United Kingdom rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- United Kingdom ranks 12th out of 101 countries with data for 2020.
- Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 26 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.