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

313,329 million passenger-km, with South Asia ahead.

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

21 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2016.

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 South Asia: Railways, passengers carried

Japan

263,211 million passenger-km

in 2020

South Asia

576,540 million passenger-km

in 2016

Japan rank

2nd

South Asia rank

1st

Railways, passengers carried over time

Japan
South Asia

How they compare

South Asia currently reports 576,540 million passenger-km against 263,211 million passenger-km in Japan, a difference of 313,329 million passenger-km.

That makes South Asia's figure about 2.2 times Japan's.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 21 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Japan ahead.

Japan ranks 2nd and South Asia ranks 1st of 101 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	Japan	South Asia	Difference	Ahead
1990s	394,307 million passenger-km	3,816 million passenger-km	390,491 million passenger-km	Japan
2000s	390,801 million passenger-km	93,388 million passenger-km	297,413 million passenger-km	Japan
2010s	411,510 million passenger-km	234,286 million passenger-km	177,224 million passenger-km	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, Japan or South Asia?: South Asia, at 576,540 million passenger-km against 263,211 million passenger-km in Japan as of 2016.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between Japan and South Asia?: 313,329 million passenger-km, with South Asia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Asia?: 21 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2016.
How do Japan and South Asia rank globally for railways, passengers carried?: Japan ranks 2nd and South Asia ranks 1st 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 South Asia: Railways, passengers carried. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/japan/south-asia/

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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.