China—Railways, Passengers (million km)
Category: InfrastructureSource: World Bank World Development Indicators ↗Global Rank: #1 of 76Updated April 2026
Latest Value
946,499
2021
YoY Change
+188.3%
2020 → 2021
Global Rank
#1
of 76 countries
Maximum
1.4M
2019
Minimum
328,251
2020
CAGR
+3.7%
22 years
Last
946,499
Previous
328,251
Highest
1.4M
Lowest
328,251
Source
World Bank World Development Indicators
China's railways, passengers (million km) was 946,499 in 2021, ranking #1 out of 76 countries. This represents a +188.3% change from 2020. Over the past 22 years, the highest recorded value was 1.4M (2019) and the lowest was 328,251 (2020). Data sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators
Historical Data
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 946,499 | +188.3% |
| 2020 | 328,251 | -77.2% |
| 2019 | 1.4M | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 1.4M | +7.5% |
| 2017 | 1.3M | +9.2% |
| 2016 | 1.2M | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 1.1M | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 1.1M | +8.1% |
| 2013 | 1.0M | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 940,249 | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 921,541 | +16.5% |
| 2010 | 791,158 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 787,890 | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 777,860 | +12.8% |
| 2007 | 689,618 | +8.5% |
| 2006 | 635,327 | +8.9% |
| 2005 | 583,320 | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 551,196 | +19.2% |
| 2003 | 462,279 | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 480,305 | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 463,655 | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 441,468 |
Top Countries — Railways, Passengers (million km)
| # | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 946,499 | 2021 |
| 2 | Japan | 263,211 | 2020 |
| 3 | India | 231,126 | 2021 |
| 4 | Russian Federation | 103,447 | 2021 |
| 5 | Korea, Rep. | 100,381 | 2019 |
| 6 | France | 86,853 | 2021 |
| 7 | Germany | 58,822 | 2020 |
| 8 | Indonesia | 29,066 | 2019 |
| 9 | Italy | 27,693 | 2021 |
| 10 | Pakistan | 24,903 | 2018 |
About This Indicator
Definition
Passengers carried by railway are the number of passengers transported by rail multiplied by kilometers traveled.
Methodology
Data compiled by Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC), uri: https://uic-stats.uic.org/select/; OECD Statistics, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).