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

10,695 million passenger-km, with Iran ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Iran 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.

Iran vs North America: Railways, passengers carried

Iran

11,231 million passenger-km

in 2021

North America

536 million passenger-km

in 2021

Iran rank

18th

North America rank

20th

Railways, passengers carried over time

Iran
North America

How they compare

Iran currently reports 11,231 million passenger-km against 536 million passenger-km in North America, a difference of 10,695 million passenger-km.

That makes Iran's figure about 21.0 times North America's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 27 shared years of data; in 1995 it was North America ahead.

Iran ranks 18th and North America ranks 20th of 101 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	Iran	North America	Difference	Ahead
1990s	6,505 million passenger-km	12,129 million passenger-km	5,625 million passenger-km	North America
2000s	11,279 million passenger-km	14,321 million passenger-km	3,041 million passenger-km	North America
2010s	15,764 million passenger-km	17,754 million passenger-km	1,990 million passenger-km	North America
2020s	8,200 million passenger-km	3,440 million passenger-km	4,760 million passenger-km	Iran

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, Iran or North America?: Iran, at 11,231 million passenger-km against 536 million passenger-km in North America as of 2021.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between Iran and North America?: 10,695 million passenger-km, with Iran ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and North America?: 27 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2021.
How do Iran and North America rank globally for railways, passengers carried?: Iran ranks 18th 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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Iran vs North America: 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/iran-islamic-rep/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.