Air transport, passengers carried in North America
North America: Air transport, passengers carried was 1.03 billion in 2023. ▲ Rising
Air transport, passengers carried in North America, 1970–2023
Source: Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Analysis
In 2023, air transport, passengers carried in North America stood at 1.03 billion. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of up 12.0% on the previous year and up 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, air transport, passengers carried in North America peaked at 1.03 billion in 2023 and was at its lowest, 173.63 million, in 1970.
North America ranks 13th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Air transport, passengers carried in North America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 173.63 million | — |
| 1971 | 184.39 million | +6.2% |
| 1972 | 202.95 million | +10.1% |
| 1973 | 216.94 million | +6.9% |
| 1974 | 223.98 million | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 221.61 million | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 239.85 million | +8.2% |
| 1977 | 257.61 million | +7.4% |
| 1978 | 291.50 million | +13.2% |
| 1979 | 334.47 million | +14.7% |
| 1980 | 317.78 million | -5.0% |
| 1981 | 303.18 million | -4.6% |
| 1982 | 310.65 million | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 333.71 million | +7.4% |
| 1984 | 359.57 million | +7.8% |
| 1985 | 391.75 million | +8.9% |
| 1986 | 434.93 million | +11.0% |
| 1987 | 461.78 million | +6.2% |
| 1988 | 476.58 million | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 474.44 million | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 485.18 million | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 468.60 million | -3.4% |
| 1992 | 483.78 million | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 487.44 million | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 533.03 million | +9.4% |
| 1995 | 553.80 million | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 593.93 million | +7.2% |
| 1997 | 614.55 million | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 612.82 million | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 658.97 million | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 707.10 million | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 662.64 million | -6.3% |
| 2002 | 621.73 million | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 624.88 million | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 718.81 million | +15.0% |
| 2005 | 765.78 million | +6.5% |
| 2006 | 772.26 million | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 796.41 million | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 755.50 million | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 732.01 million | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 783.77 million | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 796.87 million | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 807.17 million | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 814.70 million | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 838.24 million | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 878.45 million | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 909.45 million | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 940.81 million | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 980.53 million | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 1.02 billion | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 397.12 million | -61.1% |
| 2021 | 691.10 million | +74.0% |
| 2022 | 919.70 million | +33.1% |
| 2023 | 1.03 billion | +12.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Air transport, passengers carried in North America changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +74.0% | 397.12 million | 691.10 million |
| 2020 | -61.1% | 1.02 billion | 397.12 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 234.69 million | 173.63 million | 334.47 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 386.44 million | 303.18 million | 476.58 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 549.21 million | 468.60 million | 658.97 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 715.71 million | 621.73 million | 796.41 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 877.01 million | 783.77 million | 1.02 billion | 10 |
| 2020s | 759.52 million | 397.12 million | 1.03 billion | 4 |
Countries ranked near North America
More infrastructure data for North America
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 434.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 112 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 89.00 million (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 23 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.2321 units per person (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -4.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 89.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.13 units per person (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is air transport, passengers carried in North America?
- Air transport, passengers carried in North America was 1.03 billion in 2023, according to Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
- What is the highest air transport, passengers carried recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 1.03 billion in 2023.
- What is the lowest air transport, passengers carried recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 173.63 million in 1970.
- How does North America rank for air transport, passengers carried?
- North America ranks 13th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is air transport, passengers carried rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North America data come from?
- The figures come from Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), published as part of Air transport, passengers carried. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Air carrier data per country refers to passengers carried by airlines registered in that country regardless of the origin or destination of the passengers.