What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between European Union and Japan?

260,299 million passenger-km, with Japan ahead.

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

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, passengers carried (million passenger-km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

European Union vs Japan: Railways, passengers carried

European Union

2,912 million passenger-km

in 2021

Japan

263,211 million passenger-km

in 2020

European Union rank

1st

Japan rank

2nd

Railways, passengers carried over time

European Union
Japan

How they compare

Japan currently reports 263,211 million passenger-km against 2,912 million passenger-km in European Union, a difference of 260,299 million passenger-km.

That makes Japan's figure about 90.4 times European Union's.

Across all 26 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.

European Union ranks 1st and Japan ranks 2nd of 2 groups.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	European Union	Japan	Difference	Ahead
1990s	6,060 million passenger-km	394,307 million passenger-km	388,247 million passenger-km	Japan
2000s	6,415 million passenger-km	391,312 million passenger-km	384,897 million passenger-km	Japan
2010s	5,925 million passenger-km	419,461 million passenger-km	413,536 million passenger-km	Japan
2020s	3,837 million passenger-km	263,211 million passenger-km	259,374 million passenger-km	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, European Union or Japan?: Japan, at 263,211 million passenger-km against 2,912 million passenger-km in European Union as of 2020.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between European Union and Japan?: 260,299 million passenger-km, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for European Union and Japan?: 26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
How do European Union and Japan rank globally for railways, passengers carried?: European Union ranks 1st and Japan ranks 2nd of 2 groups.
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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European Union vs Japan: Railways, passengers carried. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/european-union/japan/

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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.