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

159,764 million passenger-km, with Japan ahead.

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

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.

Japan vs Russia: Railways, passengers carried

Japan

263,211 million passenger-km

in 2020

Russia

103,447 million passenger-km

in 2021

Japan rank

2nd

Russia rank

4th

Railways, passengers carried over time

Japan
Russia

How they compare

Japan currently reports 263,211 million passenger-km against 103,447 million passenger-km in Russia, a difference of 159,764 million passenger-km.

That makes Japan's figure about 2.5 times Russia's.

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

Japan ranks 2nd and Russia ranks 4th of 101 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	Japan	Russia	Difference	Ahead
1990s	394,307 million passenger-km	162,083 million passenger-km	232,224 million passenger-km	Japan
2000s	391,312 million passenger-km	163,715 million passenger-km	227,597 million passenger-km	Japan
2010s	419,461 million passenger-km	132,136 million passenger-km	287,325 million passenger-km	Japan
2020s	263,211 million passenger-km	78,135 million passenger-km	185,076 million passenger-km	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, Japan or Russia?: Japan, at 263,211 million passenger-km against 103,447 million passenger-km in Russia as of 2020.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between Japan and Russia?: 159,764 million passenger-km, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Russia?: 26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
How do Japan and Russia rank globally for railways, passengers carried?: Japan ranks 2nd and Russia ranks 4th 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 Russia: Railways, passengers carried. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/japan/russian-federation/

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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.