Relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road in Japan
Japan: Relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road was 289.89 billion passenger-kilometers in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
289.89 billion passenger-kilometers
Change on year
up 10.1%
World rank
3rd
of 63 countries
All-time high
441.61 billion passenger-kilometers
in 2018
All-time low
263.21 billion passenger-kilometers
in 2020
Years of data
52
1970–2021
Relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road in Japan, 1970–2021
Source: OECD (2023); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in passenger-kilometers.
Analysis
In 2021, relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road in Japan stood at 289.89 billion passenger-kilometers.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.1% on the previous year and down 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road in Japan peaked at 441.61 billion passenger-kilometers in 2018 and was at its lowest, 263.21 billion passenger-kilometers, in 2020.
That places Japan 3rd out of 63 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road in Japan, year by year
| Year | passenger-kilometers | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 288.82 billion passenger-kilometers | — |
| 1971 | 290.04 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 300.30 billion passenger-kilometers | +3.5% |
| 1973 | 314.04 billion passenger-kilometers | +4.6% |
| 1974 | 324.17 billion passenger-kilometers | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 323.80 billion passenger-kilometers | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 319.57 billion passenger-kilometers | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 312.30 billion passenger-kilometers | -2.3% |
| 1978 | 311.13 billion passenger-kilometers | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 312.46 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 314.54 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 316.20 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 316.35 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 321.45 billion passenger-kilometers | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 324.14 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 330.10 billion passenger-kilometers | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 334.74 billion passenger-kilometers | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 344.74 billion passenger-kilometers | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 361.77 billion passenger-kilometers | +4.9% |
| 1989 | 368.82 billion passenger-kilometers | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 387.48 billion passenger-kilometers | +5.1% |
| 1991 | 400.08 billion passenger-kilometers | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 402.29 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 402.79 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 396.41 billion passenger-kilometers | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 400.08 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 402.16 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 395.28 billion passenger-kilometers | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 388.92 billion passenger-kilometers | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 385.10 billion passenger-kilometers | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 384.29 billion passenger-kilometers | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 385.40 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 382.24 billion passenger-kilometers | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 385.01 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 385.16 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 391.21 billion passenger-kilometers | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 395.91 billion passenger-kilometers | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 405.54 billion passenger-kilometers | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 404.58 billion passenger-kilometers | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 393.76 billion passenger-kilometers | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 393.47 billion passenger-kilometers | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 395.07 billion passenger-kilometers | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 404.40 billion passenger-kilometers | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 414.39 billion passenger-kilometers | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 413.97 billion passenger-kilometers | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 427.49 billion passenger-kilometers | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 431.80 billion passenger-kilometers | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 437.36 billion passenger-kilometers | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 441.61 billion passenger-kilometers | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 435.06 billion passenger-kilometers | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 263.21 billion passenger-kilometers | -39.5% |
| 2021 | 289.89 billion passenger-kilometers | +10.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 309.66 billion passenger-kilometers | 288.82 billion passenger-kilometers | 324.17 billion passenger-kilometers | 10 |
| 1980s | 333.29 billion passenger-kilometers | 314.54 billion passenger-kilometers | 368.82 billion passenger-kilometers | 10 |
| 1990s | 396.06 billion passenger-kilometers | 385.10 billion passenger-kilometers | 402.79 billion passenger-kilometers | 10 |
| 2000s | 391.31 billion passenger-kilometers | 382.24 billion passenger-kilometers | 405.54 billion passenger-kilometers | 10 |
| 2010s | 419.46 billion passenger-kilometers | 393.47 billion passenger-kilometers | 441.61 billion passenger-kilometers | 10 |
| 2020s | 276.55 billion passenger-kilometers | 263.21 billion passenger-kilometers | 289.89 billion passenger-kilometers | 2 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 1 China 1.47 trillion passenger-kilometers compare
- 2 India 1.16 trillion passenger-kilometers compare
- 4 France 117.85 billion passenger-kilometers compare
- 5 Republic of Korea 100.38 billion passenger-kilometers compare
- 6 Russian Federation 78.57 billion passenger-kilometers compare
More reference data data for Japan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.981 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road in Japan?
- Relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road in Japan was 289.89 billion passenger-kilometers in 2021, according to OECD (2023); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 441.61 billion passenger-kilometers in 2018.
- What is the lowest relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 263.21 billion passenger-kilometers in 2020.
- How does Japan rank for relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road?
- Japan ranks 3rd out of 63 countries with data for 2021.
- Is relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2023); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Relative share of passenger kilometers travelled by rail and road. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of kilometers traveled by passengers by rail.