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

548 million passenger-km, with Iran ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Turkey?

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 Turkey: Railways, passengers carried

Iran

11,231 million passenger-km

in 2021

Turkey

10,683 million passenger-km

in 2021

Iran rank

18th

Turkey rank

21st

Railways, passengers carried over time

Iran
Turkey

How they compare

Iran currently reports 11,231 million passenger-km against 10,683 million passenger-km in Turkey, a difference of 548 million passenger-km.

That makes Iran's figure about 1.1 times Turkey's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 27 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Iran ahead.

Iran ranks 18th and Turkey ranks 21st of 101 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	Iran	Turkey	Difference	Ahead
1990s	6,505 million passenger-km	5,834 million passenger-km	670.2 million passenger-km	Iran
2000s	11,279 million passenger-km	5,398 million passenger-km	5,881 million passenger-km	Iran
2010s	15,764 million passenger-km	8,051 million passenger-km	7,714 million passenger-km	Iran
2020s	8,200 million passenger-km	9,490 million passenger-km	1,290 million passenger-km	Turkey

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, Iran or Turkey?: Iran, at 11,231 million passenger-km against 10,683 million passenger-km in Turkey as of 2021.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between Iran and Turkey?: 548 million passenger-km, with Iran ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Turkey?: 27 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2021.
How do Iran and Turkey rank globally for railways, passengers carried?: Iran ranks 18th and Turkey ranks 21st 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 Turkey: Railways, passengers carried. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/iran-islamic-rep/turkiye/

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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.