China vs Russia: Rail lines
China
109,767 total route-km
in 2021
Russia
85,544 total route-km
in 2021
China rank
2nd
Russia rank
3rd
Rail lines over time
- China
- Russia
How they compare
China currently reports 109,767 total route-km against 85,544 total route-km in Russia, a difference of 24,223 total route-km.
That makes China's figure about 1.3 times Russia's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 27 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Russia ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Russia ranks 3rd of 104 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Russia in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56,767 total route-km | 86,663 total route-km | 29,896 total route-km | Russia |
| 2000s | 61,427 total route-km | 85,356 total route-km | 23,929 total route-km | Russia |
| 2010s | 86,339 total route-km | 85,286 total route-km | 1,054 total route-km | China |
| 2020s | 108,001 total route-km | 85,550 total route-km | 22,452 total route-km | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rail lines, China or Russia?
- China, at 109,767 total route-km against 85,544 total route-km in Russia as of 2021.
- What is the difference in rail lines between China and Russia?
- 24,223 total route-km, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Russia?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2021.
- How do China and Russia rank globally for rail lines?
- China ranks 2nd and Russia ranks 3rd of 104 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC), published as Rail lines (total route-km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The total length of rail line in the country operated for passenger transport, goods transport, or both.