China vs United States: Rail lines
China
109,767 total route-km
in 2021
United States
148,553 total route-km
in 2021
China rank
2nd
United States rank
1st
Rail lines over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 148,553 total route-km against 109,767 total route-km in China, a difference of 38,786 total route-km.
That makes United States's figure about 1.4 times China's.
Across all 27 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 104 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56,767 total route-km | 197,697 total route-km | 140,930 total route-km | United States |
| 2000s | 61,427 total route-km | 194,127 total route-km | 132,699 total route-km | United States |
| 2010s | 86,339 total route-km | 160,326 total route-km | 73,987 total route-km | United States |
| 2020s | 108,001 total route-km | 148,652 total route-km | 40,650 total route-km | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rail lines, China or United States?
- United States, at 148,553 total route-km against 109,767 total route-km in China as of 2021.
- What is the difference in rail lines between China and United States?
- 38,786 total route-km, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2021.
- How do China and United States rank globally for rail lines?
- China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st 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.