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

1,229 million passenger-km, with United States ahead.

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

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.

Iran vs United States: Railways, passengers carried (million passenger-km)

Iran

11,231 million passenger-km

in 2021

United States

12,460 million passenger-km

in 2020

Iran rank

18th

United States rank

17th

Railways, passengers carried (million passenger-km) over time

Iran
United States

How they compare

United States currently reports 12,460 million passenger-km against 11,231 million passenger-km in Iran, a difference of 1,229 million passenger-km.

That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Iran's.

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

Iran ranks 18th and United States ranks 17th of 101 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	Iran	United States	Difference	Ahead
1990s	6,505 million passenger-km	22,818 million passenger-km	16,314 million passenger-km	United States
2000s	11,279 million passenger-km	27,150 million passenger-km	15,871 million passenger-km	United States
2010s	15,764 million passenger-km	34,066 million passenger-km	18,301 million passenger-km	United States
2020s	5,170 million passenger-km	12,460 million passenger-km	7,290 million passenger-km	United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, Iran or United States?: United States, at 12,460 million passenger-km against 11,231 million passenger-km in Iran as of 2020.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between Iran and United States?: 1,229 million passenger-km, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and United States?: 26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
How do Iran and United States rank globally for railways, passengers carried?: Iran ranks 18th and United States ranks 17th 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 United States: Railways, passengers carried. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 07 November 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/iran-islamic-rep/united-states/

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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: 29 October 2026

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