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

1,848 million passenger-km, with Switzerland ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland 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.

Switzerland vs United States: Railways, passengers carried

Switzerland

14,308 million passenger-km

in 2021

United States

12,460 million passenger-km

in 2020

Switzerland rank

16th

United States rank

17th

Railways, passengers carried over time

Switzerland
United States

How they compare

Switzerland currently reports 14,308 million passenger-km against 12,460 million passenger-km in United States, a difference of 1,848 million passenger-km.

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

The two have swapped places 1 time across 26 shared years of data; in 1995 it was United States ahead.

Switzerland ranks 16th and United States ranks 17th of 101 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Switzerland averaged higher in 1 and United States in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Switzerland	United States	Difference	Ahead
1990s	12,061 million passenger-km	22,818 million passenger-km	10,758 million passenger-km	United States
2000s	15,599 million passenger-km	27,150 million passenger-km	11,551 million passenger-km	United States
2010s	20,178 million passenger-km	34,066 million passenger-km	13,887 million passenger-km	United States
2020s	13,334 million passenger-km	12,460 million passenger-km	874 million passenger-km	Switzerland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher railways, passengers carried, Switzerland or United States?: Switzerland, at 14,308 million passenger-km against 12,460 million passenger-km in United States as of 2021.
What is the difference in railways, passengers carried between Switzerland and United States?: 1,848 million passenger-km, with Switzerland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and United States?: 26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
How do Switzerland and United States rank globally for railways, passengers carried?: Switzerland ranks 16th 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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Switzerland vs United States: Railways, passengers carried. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/switzerland/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: 20 August 2026

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