Roads
  

Total road network km
1999- 2003a


Paved
 roads
%
 1999- 2003a

Passengers carried million passenger- km
1999- 2003a


Goods hauled million
ton-km
 1999- 2003a

Railways
     



Rail lines total
 route-km 
2000-
2004a

Passengers carried million passenger-  km
 2000-
2004a

Goods hauled million ton-km    2000-
2004a

Ports
   

Port container traffic thousand
TEU 
 
2004

Air
     

Registered carrier departures worldwide thousands

2004


Passengers carried thousands

2004

Air freight million
 ton-km
  
2004
 
Afghanistan 34,789 23.7 .. .. .. .. .. .. 3 150 8
Albania 18,000 39.0 197 .. 447 89 32 .. 5 189 0
Algeria 104,000 68.9 .. .. 3,572 950 1,945 311.1 49 3,236 21
Angola 51,429 10.4 166,045 4,709 2,761 .. .. .. 5 223 64
Argentina 215,471 29.4 .. .. 35,754 .. .. 1,251.9 100 6,851 115
Armenia 7,633 .. 1,867 280 711 48 452 .. 6 510 7
Australia 811,601 .. .. .. 9,474 1,347 41,314 5,129.8 325 41,597 1,898
Austria 133,718 100.0 82,330 26,411 5,801 8,375 19,047 .. 137 7,619 502
Azerbaijan 27,016 47.0 9,862 53,738 2,122 584 6,980 .. 11 1,007 34
Bangladesh 239,226 9.5 .. .. 2,745 .. .. 625.2 7 1,647 180
Belarus 93,055 100.0 10,739 12,710 5,498 13,893 40,331 .. 6 274 1
Belgium 149,757 78.2 118,340 32,450 3,536 8,676 8,725 7,292.9 154 3,265 713
Benin 6,787 20.0 .. .. 438 66 86 .. 1 46 7
Bolivia 60,762 7.1 .. .. 3,698 .. .. .. 29 1,853 24
Bosnia and Herzegovina 21,846 52.3 .. 332 1,032 53 293 .. 5 73 0
Botswana 25,233 35.1 .. .. 888 171 842 .. 8 214 0
Brazil 1,724,929 5.5 .. .. 30,403 .. .. 5,058.6 486 35,264 1,499
Bulgaria 102,016 92.0 8,596 .. 4,259 2,628 5,212 .. 8 476 3
Burkina Faso 12,506 16.0 .. .. 622 .. .. .. 1 62 0
Burundi 14,480 7.1 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Cambodia 12,323 16.2 201 308 650 45 92 .. 4 163 4
Cameroon 80,932 6.7 .. .. 974 308 1,115 .. 10 358 23
Canada 1,408,900 .. .. 184,774 49,422 3,122 323,600 3,926.1 989 40,701 1,657
Central African Republic 23,810 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 46 7
Chad 33,400 0.8 .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 46 7
Chile 79,604 20.2 .. .. 2,035 820 1,935 1,473.5 86 5,464 1,094
China 1,809,829 79.5 769,560 709,950 61,015 551,196 1,828,548 74,540.1b 1,216 119,789 8,188
Hong Kong, China 1,831 100.0 .. .. .. .. .. .. 111 17,893 6,932
Colombia 112,988 14.4 .. .. 3,154 .. .. 1,073.1 156 8,965 1,079
Congo, Dem. Rep. 157,000 .. .. .. 4,499 140 491 .. 5 95 7
Congo, Rep. 12,800 9.7 .. .. 1,026 76 307 .. 5 52 0
Costa Rica 35,889 22.5 .. .. 848 .. .. 734.1 34 884 10
Côte d’Ivoire 50,400 9.7 .. .. 639 148 129 670.0 1 46 7
Croatia 28,588 84.6 3,716 8,241 2,726 1,213 2,733 .. 20 1,336 2
Cuba 60,856 49.0 .. .. 4,382 .. .. .. 11 773 33
Czech Republic 127,672 100.0 90,055 475 9,511 6,553 16,214 .. 66 4,219 41
Denmark 71,847 100.0 61,258 17,766 2,141 5,390 1,888 997.5 100 6,429 175
Dominican Republic 12,600 49.4 .. .. 1,743 .. .. 537.3 .. .. ..
Ecuador 43,197 16.9 10,276 5,170 966 .. .. 564.1 12 478 1
Egypt, Arab Rep. 64,000 78.1 .. .. 5,150 40,837 4,188 1,422.2 42 4,584 248
El Salvador 10,029 19.8 .. .. 283 .. .. .. 26 2,535 25
Eritrea 4,010 21.8 .. .. 306 .. .. .. .. .. ..
Estonia 56,849 23.4 2,299 6,364 959 192 9,567 .. 8 510 1
Ethiopia 33,856 12.9 219,113 2,456 .. .. .. .. 30 1,403 117
Finland 78,216 61.0 67,300 27,800 5,741 3,352 10,105 1,308.1 112 7,201 325
France 891,290 100.0 744,900 266,500 29,246 74,014 45,121 3,947.0 685 48,583 5,584
Gabon 32,333 3.7 .. .. 650 92 1,949 .. 8 433 62
Gambia, The 3,742 19.3 16 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Georgia 20,247 39.4 4,987 22,500 1,565 401 5,065 .. 4 203 3
Germany 231,581 100.0 1,062,700 227,197 34,729 70,286 77,640 12,457.7 942 82,156 8,064
Ghana 47,787 17.9 .. .. 977 85 242 .. 1 96 7
Greece 116,470 91.8 5,889 18,360 2,449 1,668 588 1,877.7 138 9,277 58
Guatemala 14,095 34.5 .. .. 886 .. .. 817.3 .. .. ..
Guinea 44,348 9.8 .. .. 837 .. .. .. .. .. ..
Guinea-Bissau 4,400 10.3 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Haiti 4,160 24.3 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Honduras 13,600 20.4 .. .. 699 .. .. 555.5 .. .. ..
Hungary 159,568 43.9 13,300 12,505 8,000 7,380 8,713 .. 47 2,546 24
India 3,851,440 62.6 .. .. 63,221 541,208 381,241 4,266.9 302 23,797 689
Indonesia 368,360 58.0 .. .. .. .. .. 5,566.6 319 26,785 434
Iran, Islamic Rep. 178,152 66.3 .. .. 6,405 10,012 18,182 1,220.7 104 12,234 98
Iraq 45,550 84.3 .. .. 2,339 570 1,682 .. .. .. ..
Ireland 95,736 100.0 39,440 6,500 1,919 1,582 399 924.9 262 34,783 124
Israel 17,237 100.0 .. .. 493 1,423 1,173 1,607.9 34 4,954 1,355
Italy 479,688 100.0 759,200 184,756 16,235 46,768 21,581 8,473.2 384 35,932 1,393
Jamaica 18,700 70.1 .. .. 272 .. .. 1,360.6 23 2,008 38
Japan 1,177,278 77.7 955,412 312,028 20,060 242,300 22,200 15,937.5 646 103,116 8,938
Jordan 7,364 100.0 .. .. 291 .. 522 .. 18 1,660 254
Kazakhstan 258,029 95.9 55,676 382 13,770 11,816 163,420 .. 12 843 13
Kenya 63,942 12.1 .. 22 1,917 226 1,399 .. 26 2,005 193
Korea, Dem. Rep. 31,200 6.4 .. .. 5,214 .. .. .. 2 95 2
Korea, Rep. 97,252 76.8 9,404 565 3,129 28,641 10,641 14,299.4 233 33,390 7,969
Kuwait 4,450 80.6 .. .. .. .. .. .. 19 2,317 224
Kyrgyz Republic 18,500 91.1 5,274 797 424 50 561 .. 6 246 5
Lao PDR 32,620 14.1 1,290 121 .. .. .. .. 9 276 2
Latvia 69,919 100.0 2,550 2,324 2,270 810 16,877 .. 16 594 1
Lebanon 7,300 84.9 .. .. 401 .. .. 299.4 12 1,087 85
Lesotho 5,940 18.3 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Liberia 10,600 6.2 .. .. 490 .. .. .. .. .. ..
Libya 83,200 57.2 .. .. 2,757 .. .. .. 8 850 0
Lithuania 78,893 27.4 20,982 11,462 1,782 443 11,637 .. 11 448 1
Macedonia, FYR 8,684 63.8 .. .. 699 94 426 .. 2 211 0
Madagascar 49,827 11.6 .. .. 883 10 12 .. 18 514 13
Malawi 28,400 18.5 .. .. 710 25 88 .. 6 114 1
Malaysia 71,814 77.9 .. .. 1,667 1,931 1,224 11,264.4 171 19,268 2,599
Mali 15,100 12.1 .. .. 733 196 189 .. 1 46 7
Mauritania 7,660 11.3 .. .. 717 .. .. .. 2 128 0
Mauritius 2,015 100.0 .. .. .. .. .. 381.5 15 1,089 220
Mexico 349,038 33.5 399,000 195,200 26,656 .. .. 1,905.9 333 21,240 403
Moldova 12,730 86.2 1,640 1,577 1,120 355 2,715 .. 5 201 1
Mongolia 49,250 3.5 761 1,889 1,810 1,073 6,452 .. 7 318 6
Morocco 57,694 56.4 .. 18 1,907 2,614 5,535 560.7 42 3,004 62
Mozambique 30,400 18.7 .. .. 2,072 137 808 .. 9 299 5
Myanmar 27,966 78.0 2,028 9,493 .. .. .. .. 25 1,408 3
Namibia 42,237 12.8 47 591 .. .. .. .. 7 281 56
Nepal 15,905 53.9 .. .. 59 .. .. .. 6 449 7
Netherlands 116,500 90.0 193,900 481 2,811 14,097 4,026 8,482.4 250 25,304 4,773
New Zealand 92,662 63.8 .. .. 3,898 .. 3,853 1,614.9 197 11,305 749
Nicaragua 18,658 11.4 .. .. 6 .. .. .. 1 61 1
Niger 10,100 7.9 .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 46 7
Nigeria 194,394 30.9 .. .. 3,505 973 39 512.6 10 682 10
Norway 91,916 77.5 56,573 13,614 4,077 2,477 2,668 .. 260 13,230 177
Oman 32,800 30.0 .. .. .. .. .. 2,515.5 32 3,267 235
Pakistan 254,410 60.0 209,959 .. 7,791 23,911 5,004 1,101.5 50 5,097 402
Panama 11,643 34.6 .. .. 355 .. .. 2,428.8 27 1,501 34
Papua New Guinea 19,600 3.5 .. .. .. .. .. .. 19 759 23
Paraguay 29,500 50.8 .. .. 441 .. .. .. 9 373 0
Peru 78,672 13.1 .. 72 2,123 .. .. 695.6 43 2,666 200
Philippines 200,037 9.9 .. .. .. .. .. 3,673.3 57 7,406 301
Poland 423,997 69.7 29,996 85,989 19,576 18,626 47,847 428.4 78 3,493 77
Portugal 72,600 86.0 98,328 20,470 2,849 3,415 2,675 865.7 127 9,052 237
Puerto Rico 24,023 94.0 .. 10 96 .. .. 1,671.3 .. .. ..
Romania 198,817 50.4 5,283 25,350 10,844 8,633 14,262 .. 30 1,338 5
Russian Federation 537,289 67.4 164 5,702 85,542 157,100 1,664,300 1,368.0 399 25,949 1,416
Rwanda 12,000 8.3 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Saudi Arabia 152,044 29.9 .. .. 1,390 364 1,173 3,185.7 113 14,943 957
Senegal 13,576 29.3 .. .. 906 138 371 .. 6 421 0
Serbia and Montenegro 45,290 62.0 .. .. 3,809 .. .. .. 25 1,414 6
Sierra Leone 11,300 8.0 .. .. .. .. .. .. 0 16 8
Singapore 3,165 100.0 .. .. .. .. .. 21,311.0 75 17,718 7,193
Slovak Republic 42,993 87.3 32,981 16,859 3,660 2,227 9,675 .. 16 825 0
Slovenia 38,400 100.0 1,065 6,305 1,229 764 3,462 .. 17 765 3
Somalia 22,100 11.8 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
South Africa 362,099 20.3 .. 434 20,047 10,001 106,549 2,675.3 134 9,876 930
Spain 666,292 99.0 397,117 132,868 14,395 20,237 14,117 7,809.6 550 45,529 1,043
Sri Lanka 97,286 81.0 21,067 .. .. .. .. 2,220.6 16 2,416 300
Sudan 11,900 36.3 .. .. 5,478 32 889 .. 8 476 41
Swaziland 3,594 .. .. .. 301 .. .. .. 2 90 0
Sweden 424,981 31.1 105,834 37,048 9,895 5,544 13,122 933.8 192 11,539 257
Switzerland 71,220 .. 94,622 26,100 3,378 12,869 9,313 .. 144 9,279 1,090
Syrian Arab Republic 91,795 20.1 589 .. 2,798 635 1,924 .. 16 1,141 20
Tajikistan 27,767 .. .. .. 617 41 1,087 .. 8 498 6
Tanzania 78,891 8.6 .. .. 2,600c 471c 1,351c .. 6 248 2
Thailand 57,403 98.5 .. .. 4,044 10,092 3,422 4,855.8 129 20,625 1,869
Togo 7,520 31.6 .. .. 568 .. .. .. 1 46 7
Trinidad and Tobago 8,320 51.1 .. .. .. .. .. 440.4 17 1,132 42
Tunisia 18,997 65.4 .. 16,611 1,909 1,242 2,173 .. 21 1,940 20
Turkey 354,421 41.6 163,327 152,163 8,697 5,237 9,332 2,942.4 110 12,516 369
Turkmenistan 24,000 81.2 .. .. 2,523 1,118 6,437 .. 29 1,779 17
Uganda 70,746 23.0 .. .. 259 .. 218 .. 0 46 27
Ukraine 169,739 97.0 40,131 24,387 22,011 51,726 233,961 .. 34 1,924 23
United Arab Emirates 1,088 100.0 .. .. .. .. .. 8,661.6 87 14,314 3,734
United Kingdom 392,342 100.0 666,000 159,000 16,514 42,626 20,700 7,480.9 970 86,055 5,698
United States 6,378,154 58.8 .. 1,599,754 141,961 .. 2,200,123d 35,612.7 9,566e 678,111e 37,450e
Uruguay 8,983 90.0 .. .. 2,993 .. .. 301.6 8 564 0
Uzbekistan 81,600 87.3 .. .. 4,126 2,163 18,428 .. 23 1,588 83
Venezuela, RB 96,155 33.6 .. .. 433 .. 32 920.9 129 4,592 2
Vietnam 215,628 .. 18,116 4,772 2,600 4,376 2,682 2,138.8 51 5,050 217
West Bank and Gaza .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Yemen, Rep. 67,000 11.5 .. .. .. .. .. 377.4 16 995 60
Zambia 91,440 22.0 .. .. 1,273c 186c 554c .. 5 49 0
Zimbabwe 97,267 19.0 .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 238 17
World   36.3 m .. m .. m .. s .. m .. m 326,382.9s 23,754 s 1,886,515s 140,242 s
Low income   13.3 .. .. .. .. .. 8,435.5 696 49,908 2,157
Middle income   50.8 .. .. .. 1,230 .. 134,631.2 5,021 404,182 22,844
Lower middle income   50.1 .. .. .. .. .. 104,722.1 3,087 272,310 15,055
Upper middle income   51.1 .. .. .. 2,079 9,621 29,909.1 1,934 131,872 7,788
Low & middle income   29.5 .. .. .. .. .. 143,321.1 5,718 454,090 25,001
East Asia & Pacific   32.3 1,659 .. .. .. 2,662 102,039.0 2,079 203,261 13,730
Europe & Central Asia   74.0 9,603 11,400 216,994 2,227 9,675 .. 985 65,135 2,139
Latin America & Carib.   26.8 .. .. .. .. .. 19,377.2 1,561 98,165 4,629
Middle East & N. Africa   66.4 .. .. .. 1,265 .. .. 358 33,999 1,103
South Asia   53.9 .. .. .. .. .. 7,589.0 389 33,527 1,579
Sub-Saharan Africa   12.5 .. .. .. .. .. .. 347 20,003 1,821
High income   91.8 .. .. .. 8,375 10,105 183,061.8 18,037 1,432,425 115,241
Europe EMU   99.5 108,334 26,460 120,432 8,676 10,105 44,966.0 3,783 309,557 27,487
          
Footnotes
 
a. Data are for the latest year available in the period shown.
b. Includes Hong Kong, China.
c. Excludes Tazara railway.
d. Refers to Class 1 railways only.
e. Data cover only those carriers designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation as major and national air carriers.
 

 
 About the data
 
Transport infrastructure—highways, railways, ports and waterways, and airports and air traffic control systems—and the services that flow from it are crucial to the activities of households, producers, and governments. Because performance indicators vary significantly by transport mode and focus (whether physical infrastructure or the services flowing from that infrastructure), highly specialized and carefully specified indicators are required. The table provides selected indicators of the size, extent, and productivity of roads, railways, and air transport systems and of the volume of traffic in these modes as well as in ports.
 
Data for transport sectors are not always internationally comparable. Unlike for demographic statistics, national income accounts, and international trade data, the collection of infrastructure data has not been “internationalized.” But data on roads are collected by the International Road Federation (IRF), and data on air transport by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
 
National road associations are the primary source of IRF data. In countries where such an association is lacking or does not respond, other agencies are contacted, such as road directorates, ministries of transport or public works, or central statistical offices. As a result, due to differing definitions and data collections methods and quality, the compiled data are of uneven quality. Moreover, the quality of transport service (reliability, transit time, and condition of goods delivered) is rarely measured, though it may be as important as quantity in assessing an economy’s transport system. Several new initiatives are under way to improve data availability and consistency. The IRF is collaborating with national and international development agencies to improve the quality and coverage of road statistics. To improve measures of progress and performance, the World Bank is also working on better measures of access, affordability, efficiency, quality, and fiscal and institutional aspects of infrastructure.
 
Unlike the road sector, where numerous qualified motor vehicle operators can operate anywhere on the road network, railways are a restricted transport system with vehicles confined to a fixed guideway. Considering their cost and service characteristics, railways generally are best suited to carry—and can effectively compete for—bulk commodities and containerized freight for distances of 500–5,000 kilometers, and passengers for distances of 50–1,000 kilometers. Below these limits road transport tends to be more competitive, while above these limits either air transport for passengers and freight or sea transport for freight tend to be more competitive. The railways indicators in the table focus on scale and output measures: total route-kilometers, passenger-kilometers, and goods (freight) hauled in ton-kilometers.
 
Measures of port container traffic, much of it commodities of medium to high value added, give some indication of economic growth in a country. But when traffic is merely transshipment, much of the economic benefit goes to the terminal operator and ancillary services for ships and containers rather than to the country more broadly. In transshipment centers empty containers may account for as much as 40 percent of traffic.
 
The air transport data represent the total (international and domestic) scheduled traffic carried by the air carriers registered in a country. Countries submit air transport data to ICAO on the basis of standard instructions and definitions issued by ICAO. In many cases, however, the data include estimates by ICAO for nonreporting carriers. Where possible, these estimates are based on previous submissions supplemented by information published by the air carriers, such as flight schedules.
 
The data cover the air traffic carried on scheduled services, but changes in air transport regulations in Europe have made it more difficult to classify traffic as scheduled or nonscheduled. Thus recent increases shown for some European countries may be due to changes in the classification of air traffic rather than actual growth. For countries with few air carriers or only one, the addition or discontinuation of a home-based air carrier may cause significant changes in air traffic.
   

 
 Definitions
 
• Total road network covers motorways, highways, main or national roads, secondary or regional roads, and all other roads in a country. • Paved roads are roads surfaced with crushed stone (macadam) and hydrocarbon binder or bituminized agents, with concrete, or with cobblestones. • Passengers carried by road are the number of passengers transported by road times kilometers traveled. • Goods hauled by road are the volume of goods transported by road vehicles, measured in millions of metric tons times kilometers traveled. • Rail lines are the length of railway route available for train service, irrespective of the number of parallel tracks. • Passengers carried by railway are the number of passengers transported by rail times kilometers traveled. • Goods hauled by railway are the volume of goods transported by railway, measured in metric tons times kilometers traveled. • Port container traffic measures the flow of containers from land to sea transport modes and vice versa in twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs), a standard-size container. Data cover coastal shipping as well as international journeys. Transshipment traffic is counted as two lifts at the intermediate port (once to off-load and again as an outbound lift) and includes empty units. • Registered carrier departures worldwide are domestic takeoffs and takeoffs abroad of air carriers registered in the country. • Air passengers carried include both domestic and international passengers of air carriers registered in the country. • Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tons times kilometers traveled.
   

 
 Data sources
Data on roads are from the IRF’s World Road Statistics, supplemented by World Bank staff estimates. Data on railways are from a database maintained by the World Bank’s Transport and Urban Development Department, Transport Division. Data on port container traffic are from Containerisation International’s Containerisation International Yearbook. And the data on air transport are from the ICAO’s Civil Aviation Statistics of the World and ICAO staff estimates.