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

162,830 million passenger-km, with Japan ahead.

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

25 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2019.

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.

Japan vs Korea: Railways, passengers carried

Japan

263,211 million passenger-km

in 2020

Korea

100,381 million passenger-km

in 2019

Japan rank

2nd

Korea rank

5th

Railways, passengers carried over time

Japan
Korea

How they compare

Japan currently reports 263,211 million passenger-km against 100,381 million passenger-km in Korea, a difference of 162,830 million passenger-km.

That makes Japan's figure about 2.6 times Korea's.

Across all 25 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.

Japan ranks 2nd and Korea ranks 5th of 101 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Japan	Korea	Difference	Ahead
1990s	394,307 million passenger-km	43,703 million passenger-km	350,604 million passenger-km	Japan
2000s	391,312 million passenger-km	54,252 million passenger-km	337,060 million passenger-km	Japan
2010s	419,461 million passenger-km	76,350 million passenger-km	343,111 million passenger-km	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, Japan or Korea?: Japan, at 263,211 million passenger-km against 100,381 million passenger-km in Korea as of 2020.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between Japan and Korea?: 162,830 million passenger-km, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Korea?: 25 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2019.
How do Japan and Korea rank globally for railways, passengers carried?: Japan ranks 2nd and Korea ranks 5th 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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Japan vs Korea: Railways, passengers carried. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/japan/korea-rep/

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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.