What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between Australia and North America?

8,792 million passenger-km, with Australia ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and North America?

27 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2021.

Where does this data come from?

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

Australia vs North America: Railways, passengers carried

Australia

9,328 million passenger-km

in 2021

North America

536 million passenger-km

in 2021

Australia rank

23rd

North America rank

20th

Railways, passengers carried over time

Australia
North America

How they compare

Australia currently reports 9,328 million passenger-km against 536 million passenger-km in North America, a difference of 8,792 million passenger-km.

That makes Australia's figure about 17.4 times North America's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 27 shared years of data; in 1995 it was North America ahead.

Australia ranks 23rd and North America ranks 20th of 101 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 1 and North America in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Australia	North America	Difference	Ahead
1990s	10,827 million passenger-km	12,129 million passenger-km	1,303 million passenger-km	North America
2000s	12,696 million passenger-km	14,321 million passenger-km	1,624 million passenger-km	North America
2010s	16,338 million passenger-km	17,754 million passenger-km	1,417 million passenger-km	North America
2020s	12,190 million passenger-km	3,440 million passenger-km	8,750 million passenger-km	Australia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, Australia or North America?: Australia, at 9,328 million passenger-km against 536 million passenger-km in North America as of 2021.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between Australia and North America?: 8,792 million passenger-km, with Australia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and North America?: 27 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2021.
How do Australia and North America rank globally for railways, passengers carried?: Australia ranks 23rd and North America ranks 20th of 101 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC), published as Railways, passengers carried (million passenger-km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Australia vs North America: Railways, passengers carried. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/australia/north-america/

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About this data

Indicator: Railways, passengers carried (million passenger-km)
Unit: million passenger-km
Source: Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 128 places, 2,650 data points, 1995–2021
Last refreshed: 20 August 2026

Passengers carried by railway are the number of passengers transported by rail multiplied by kilometers traveled.