North America vs United States of America: Railways, passengers carried

North America
536 million passenger-km
in 2021
United States of America
12,460 million passenger-km
in 2020
North America rank
22nd
United States of America rank
17th

Railways, passengers carried over time

  • North America
  • United States of America
010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k199520082021

How they compare

United States of America currently reports 12,460 million passenger-km against 536 million passenger-km in North America, a difference of 11,924 million passenger-km.

That makes United States of America's figure about 23.2 times North America's.

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

North America ranks 22nd and United States of America ranks 17th of 27 groups.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade North America United States of America Difference Ahead
1990s 12,129 million passenger-km 22,818 million passenger-km 10,689 million passenger-km United States of America
2000s 14,321 million passenger-km 27,150 million passenger-km 12,830 million passenger-km United States of America
2010s 17,754 million passenger-km 34,066 million passenger-km 16,311 million passenger-km United States of America
2020s 6,344 million passenger-km 12,460 million passenger-km 6,116 million passenger-km United States of America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, North America or United States of America?
United States of America, at 12,460 million passenger-km against 536 million passenger-km in North America as of 2020.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between North America and United States of America?
11,924 million passenger-km, with United States of America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North America and United States of America?
26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
How do North America and United States of America rank globally for railways, passengers carried?
North America ranks 22nd and United States of America ranks 17th of 27 groups.
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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North America vs United States of America: Railways, passengers carried. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/north-america/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

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