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

32,085 million passenger-km, with Japan ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for India 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.

India vs Japan: Railways, passengers carried

India

231,126 million passenger-km

in 2021

Japan

263,211 million passenger-km

in 2020

India rank

3rd

Japan rank

2nd

Railways, passengers carried over time

India
Japan

How they compare

Japan currently reports 263,211 million passenger-km against 231,126 million passenger-km in India, a difference of 32,085 million passenger-km.

That makes Japan's figure about 1.1 times India's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 26 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Japan ahead.

India ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 2nd of 101 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, India averaged higher in 3 and Japan in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	India	Japan	Difference	Ahead
1990s	360,432 million passenger-km	394,307 million passenger-km	33,875 million passenger-km	Japan
2000s	593,152 million passenger-km	391,312 million passenger-km	201,840 million passenger-km	India
2010s	1.09 million million passenger-km	419,461 million passenger-km	669,575 million passenger-km	India
2020s	1.05 million million passenger-km	263,211 million passenger-km	787,529 million passenger-km	India

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, India or Japan?: Japan, at 263,211 million passenger-km against 231,126 million passenger-km in India as of 2020.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between India and Japan?: 32,085 million passenger-km, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for India and Japan?: 26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
How do India and Japan rank globally for railways, passengers carried?: India ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 2nd 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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India vs Japan: Railways, passengers carried. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/india/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.