Rail lines (total route-km) by country
The total length of rail line in the country operated for passenger transport, goods transport, or both.
Countries reporting
102
Highest
148,553 total route-km
United States
Lowest
250 total route-km
Montenegro
Median
2,383 total route-km
Years covered
27
1995–2021
Data points
2,110
What the numbers show
Rail lines (total route-km) is currently reported for 102 countries. The highest value is 148,553 total route-km in United States; the lowest is 250 total route-km in Montenegro.
The median across all reporting countries is 2,383 total route-km, and the mean is 8,840 total route-km.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 594.
Over the past decade 42 countries rose and 42 fell. The largest increase was in Saudi Arabia (up 188.1%), and the largest decrease in Uganda (down 79.1%).
Rail lines: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 148,553 total route-km | 2021 | down 23.5% | falling |
| 2 | China | 109,767 total route-km | 2021 | up 51.4% | rising |
| 3 | Russia | 85,544 total route-km | 2021 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 4 | India | 68,103 total route-km | 2021 | up 5.7% | rising |
| 5 | Canada | 48,150 total route-km | 2021 | up 2.5% | flat |
| 6 | Germany | 33,401 total route-km | 2021 | down 0.5% | falling |
| 7 | France | 27,716 total route-km | 2021 | down 7.8% | falling |
| 8 | Ukraine | 21,626 total route-km | 2020 | down 0.4% | falling |
| 9 | South Africa | 20,953 total route-km | 2021 | unchanged | flat |
| 10 | Poland | 18,620 total route-km | 2021 | down 5.6% | falling |
| 11 | Argentina | 17,866 total route-km | 2019 | up 32.5% | rising |
| 12 | Italy | 17,305 total route-km | 2021 | up 3.5% | rising |
| 13 | United Kingdom | 16,179 total route-km | 2021 | down 0.2% | falling |
| 14 | Kazakhstan | 16,006 total route-km | 2021 | up 11.8% | rising |
| 15 | Spain | 15,963 total route-km | 2021 | up 1.8% | rising |
| 16 | Romania | 10,769 total route-km | 2021 | down 0.1% | falling |
| 17 | Turkey | 10,546 total route-km | 2021 | up 9.4% | rising |
| 18 | Sweden | 9,714 total route-km | 2021 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 19 | Iran | 9,455 total route-km | 2021 | up 13.0% | rising |
| 20 | Czechia | 9,357 total route-km | 2021 | down 1.2% | flat |
| 21 | Hungary | 8,037 total route-km | 2021 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 22 | Pakistan | 7,791 total route-km | 2019 | unchanged | flat |
| 23 | Turkmenistan | 7,680 total route-km | 2018 | up 148.1% | rising |
| 24 | Finland | 5,918 total route-km | 2021 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 25 | Indonesia | 5,483 total route-km | 2019 | up 3.9% | falling |
| 26 | Belarus | 5,474 total route-km | 2021 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 27 | Egypt | 5,153 total route-km | 2016 | up 1.8% | rising |
| 28 | Cuba | 5,076 total route-km | 2007 | up 12.6% | flat |
| 29 | Austria | 4,962 total route-km | 2021 | up 0.9% | falling |
| 30 | Uzbekistan | 4,732 total route-km | 2021 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 31 | South Korea | 4,308 total route-km | 2021 | up 18.5% | rising |
| 32 | Switzerland | 4,122 total route-km | 2021 | up 16.1% | rising |
| 33 | Thailand | 4,092 total route-km | 2017 | down 7.6% | flat |
| 34 | Bulgaria | 4,031 total route-km | 2021 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 35 | Algeria | 4,000 total route-km | 2021 | down 5.3% | flat |
| 36 | Norway | 3,885 total route-km | 2021 | down 6.5% | flat |
| 37 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 3,641 total route-km | 2021 | unchanged | falling |
| 38 | Slovakia | 3,626 total route-km | 2021 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 39 | Belgium | 3,612 total route-km | 2021 | up 0.8% | rising |
| 40 | Nigeria | 3,528 total route-km | 2015 | unchanged | flat |
| 41 | Serbia | 3,348 total route-km | 2021 | down 12.1% | falling |
| 42 | Vietnam | 3,159 total route-km | 2021 | up 34.6% | flat |
| 43 | Mozambique | 3,116 total route-km | 2011 | down 0.5% | flat |
| 44 | Netherlands | 3,041 total route-km | 2021 | up 0.8% | rising |
| 45 | Saudi Arabia | 2,939 total route-km | 2018 | up 188.1% | rising |
| 46 | Bangladesh | 2,877 total route-km | 2019 | up 1.5% | rising |
| 47 | Sudan | 2,747 total route-km | 2020 | down 41.7% | falling |
| 48 | Tanzania | 2,701 total route-km | 2017 | up 3.9% | falling |
| 49 | Croatia | 2,617 total route-km | 2021 | down 3.9% | flat |
| 50 | Portugal | 2,527 total route-km | 2021 | down 9.6% | falling |
| 51 | Chile | 2,396 total route-km | 2021 | — | flat |
| 52 | Iraq | 2,370 total route-km | 2014 | up 24.9% | falling |
| 53 | Greece | 2,339 total route-km | 2021 | down 8.4% | falling |
| 54 | Morocco | 2,295 total route-km | 2021 | up 8.8% | rising |
| 55 | Syria | 2,139 total route-km | 2010 | up 20.8% | rising |
| 56 | Azerbaijan | 2,139 total route-km | 2021 | up 2.9% | flat |
| 57 | Denmark | 2,131 total route-km | 2009 | down 8.3% | falling |
| 58 | Lithuania | 1,919 total route-km | 2021 | up 8.6% | flat |
| 59 | Kenya | 1,917 total route-km | 2004 | down 30.0% | falling |
| 60 | Latvia | 1,859 total route-km | 2021 | down 0.3% | falling |
| 61 | Mongolia | 1,821 total route-km | 2021 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 62 | Tunisia | 1,777 total route-km | 2021 | down 17.9% | flat |
| 63 | Israel | 1,720 total route-km | 2021 | up 59.4% | rising |
| 64 | Malaysia | 1,655 total route-km | 2021 | down 26.5% | rising |
| 66 | Sri Lanka | 1,562 total route-km | 2019 | up 6.8% | flat |
| 67 | Uruguay | 1,498 total route-km | 2021 | down 8.7% | falling |
| 68 | Georgia | 1,387 total route-km | 2021 | up 9.9% | falling |
| 69 | Zambia | 1,248 total route-km | 2019 | — | flat |
| 70 | Slovenia | 1,209 total route-km | 2021 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 71 | Moldova | 1,149 total route-km | 2021 | down 0.7% | falling |
| 72 | Estonia | 1,033 total route-km | 2017 | up 26.6% | falling |
| 73 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,018 total route-km | 2019 | up 0.1% | falling |
| 74 | Ecuador | 956 total route-km | 2000 | unchanged | flat |
| 75 | Ghana | 953 total route-km | 2006 | unchanged | flat |
| 76 | Senegal | 906 total route-km | 2004 | unchanged | flat |
| 77 | Congo | 893.2 total route-km | 2012 | down 0.8% | rising |
| 78 | Botswana | 886 total route-km | 2021 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 79 | Guatemala | 885 total route-km | 2004 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 80 | Cameroon | 884 total route-km | 2021 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 81 | Costa Rica | 848 total route-km | 2001 | up 46.0% | rising |
| 82 | Djibouti | 781 total route-km | 2003 | — | flat |
| 83 | Benin | 758 total route-km | 2006 | up 30.9% | rising |
| 84 | Mali | 733 total route-km | 2002 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 85 | Mauritania | 728 total route-km | 2021 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Armenia | 698.4 total route-km | 2021 | down 15.5% | falling |
| 87 | North Macedonia | 683 total route-km | 2021 | down 2.3% | flat |
| 88 | Madagascar | 673 total route-km | 2021 | unchanged | falling |
| 89 | Cambodia | 650 total route-km | 2004 | unchanged | flat |
| 90 | Gabon | 648 total route-km | 2021 | down 20.0% | flat |
| 91 | Cote d'Ivoire | 639 total route-km | 2021 | unchanged | flat |
| 92 | Tajikistan | 620 total route-km | 2021 | down 0.1% | rising |
| 93 | El Salvador | 547 total route-km | 2003 | down 3.0% | flat |
| 94 | Burkina Faso | 518 total route-km | 2021 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 95 | Philippines | 509 total route-km | 2016 | up 6.3% | rising |
| 96 | Panama | 485 total route-km | 2000 | unchanged | flat |
| 97 | Paraguay | 441 total route-km | 2000 | unchanged | flat |
| 98 | Albania | 423 total route-km | 2009 | down 3.9% | falling |
| 99 | Kyrgyzstan | 417 total route-km | 2021 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 100 | Venezuela | 336 total route-km | 2006 | unchanged | flat |
| 101 | Eswatini | 300 total route-km | 2011 | unchanged | flat |
| 103 | Uganda | 259 total route-km | 2002 | down 79.1% | volatile |
| 104 | Montenegro | 250 total route-km | 2019 | up 0.4% | flat |
About this data
The total length of rail line in the country operated for passenger transport, goods transport, or both.