Rail lines in China
China: Rail lines was 109,767 total route-km in 2021. ▲ Rising
Rail lines in China, 1995–2021
Source: Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC). Measured in total route-km.
Analysis
China recorded 109,767 total route-km for rail lines in 2021. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 51.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rail lines in China peaked at 109,767 total route-km in 2021 and was at its lowest, 54,616 total route-km, in 1995.
That places China 2nd out of 104 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Rail lines in China, year by year
| Year | total route-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 54,616 total route-km | — |
| 1996 | 56,678 total route-km | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 57,566 total route-km | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 57,583 total route-km | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 57,394 total route-km | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 58,656 total route-km | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 59,079 total route-km | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 59,530 total route-km | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 60,446 total route-km | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 61,015 total route-km | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 62,200 total route-km | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 63,412 total route-km | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 63,636 total route-km | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 60,809 total route-km | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 65,491 total route-km | +7.7% |
| 2010 | 66,239 total route-km | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 72,487 total route-km | +9.4% |
| 2012 | 85,843 total route-km | +18.4% |
| 2013 | 79,306 total route-km | -7.6% |
| 2014 | 85,320 total route-km | +7.6% |
| 2015 | 89,966 total route-km | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 91,675 total route-km | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 93,742 total route-km | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 96,353 total route-km | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 102,462 total route-km | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 106,235 total route-km | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 109,767 total route-km | +3.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 109,767 total route-km is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,980 total route-km, 55.4× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- China's 109,767 total route-km is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,159 total route-km, 34.7× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56,767 total route-km | 54,616 total route-km | 57,583 total route-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 61,427 total route-km | 58,656 total route-km | 65,491 total route-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 86,339 total route-km | 66,239 total route-km | 102,462 total route-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 108,001 total route-km | 106,235 total route-km | 109,767 total route-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near China
More infrastructure data for China
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 1.87 billion (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 131.75 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 166.51 million (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 11.73 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.1182 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -7.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 166.51 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.33 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rail lines in China?
- Rail lines in China was 109,767 total route-km in 2021, according to Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC).
- What is the highest rail lines recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 109,767 total route-km in 2021.
- What is the lowest rail lines recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 54,616 total route-km in 1995.
- How does China rank for rail lines?
- China ranks 2nd out of 104 countries with data for 2021.
- Is rail lines rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC), published as part of Rail lines (total route-km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The total length of rail line in the country operated for passenger transport, goods transport, or both.