China vs South Asia: Railways, passengers carried

China
946,499 million passenger-km
in 2021
South Asia
576,540 million passenger-km
in 2016
China rank
1st
South Asia rank
1st

Railways, passengers carried over time

  • China
  • South Asia
0500.0k1.0M1.5M199520082021

How they compare

China currently reports 946,499 million passenger-km against 576,540 million passenger-km in South Asia, a difference of 369,959 million passenger-km.

That makes China's figure about 1.6 times South Asia's.

Across all 21 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

China ranks 1st and South Asia ranks 1st of 101 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China South Asia Difference Ahead
1990s 362,908 million passenger-km 3,816 million passenger-km 359,092 million passenger-km China
2000s 581,955 million passenger-km 93,388 million passenger-km 488,567 million passenger-km China
2010s 1.00 million million passenger-km 234,286 million passenger-km 768,578 million passenger-km China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, China or South Asia?
China, at 946,499 million passenger-km against 576,540 million passenger-km in South Asia as of 2021.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between China and South Asia?
369,959 million passenger-km, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Asia?
21 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2016.
How do China and South Asia rank globally for railways, passengers carried?
China ranks 1st and South Asia ranks 1st 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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China vs South Asia: Railways, passengers carried. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/china/south-asia/

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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

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