What is the difference in railways, goods transported between Japan and Sweden?

4,906 million ton-km, with Sweden ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Sweden?

26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.

Where does this data come from?

Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC), published as Railways, goods transported (million ton-km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Japan vs Sweden: Railways, goods transported

Japan

18,340 million ton-km

in 2020

Sweden

23,246 million ton-km

in 2021

Japan rank

21st

Sweden rank

18th

Railways, goods transported over time

Japan
Sweden

How they compare

Sweden currently reports 23,246 million ton-km against 18,340 million ton-km in Japan, a difference of 4,906 million ton-km.

That makes Sweden's figure about 1.3 times Japan's.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 26 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Japan ahead.

Japan ranks 21st and Sweden ranks 18th of 104 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 2 and Sweden in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Japan	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1990s	24,029 million ton-km	19,134 million ton-km	4,895 million ton-km	Japan
2000s	22,389 million ton-km	21,037 million ton-km	1,352 million ton-km	Japan
2010s	20,678 million ton-km	21,960 million ton-km	1,282 million ton-km	Sweden
2020s	18,340 million ton-km	22,094 million ton-km	3,754 million ton-km	Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, goods transported, Japan or Sweden?: Sweden, at 23,246 million ton-km against 18,340 million ton-km in Japan as of 2021.
What is the difference in railways, goods transported between Japan and Sweden?: 4,906 million ton-km, with Sweden ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Sweden?: 26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
How do Japan and Sweden rank globally for railways, goods transported?: Japan ranks 21st and Sweden ranks 18th of 104 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC), published as Railways, goods transported (million ton-km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Japan vs Sweden: Railways, goods transported. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-goods-transported-million-ton-km/japan/sweden/

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About this data

Indicator: Railways, goods transported (million ton-km)
Unit: million ton-km
Source: Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 134 places, 2,685 data points, 1995–2021
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Goods transported by railway are the volume of goods transported by railway, measured in metric tons times kilometers traveled.