Rail lines in South Korea
South Korea: Rail lines was 4,308 total route-km in 2021. ▲ Rising
Rail lines in South Korea, 1995–2021
Source: Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC). Measured in total route-km.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rail lines in South Korea is 4,308 total route-km, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rail lines in South Korea peaked at 4,308 total route-km in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3,101 total route-km, in 1995.
South Korea ranks 31st of 104 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Rail lines in South Korea, year by year
| Year | total route-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3,101 total route-km | — |
| 1996 | 3,120 total route-km | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 3,118 total route-km | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 3,125 total route-km | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 3,118 total route-km | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 3,123 total route-km | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 3,125 total route-km | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 3,129 total route-km | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 3,140 total route-km | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 3,374 total route-km | +7.5% |
| 2005 | 3,392 total route-km | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 3,392 total route-km | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3,399 total route-km | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 3,381 total route-km | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 3,378 total route-km | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 3,618 total route-km | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 3,637 total route-km | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 3,650 total route-km | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 3,666 total route-km | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 3,668 total route-km | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 3,944 total route-km | +7.5% |
| 2016 | 4,071 total route-km | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 4,071 total route-km | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4,200 total route-km | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 4,109 total route-km | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 4,285 total route-km | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 4,308 total route-km | +0.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 4,308 total route-km is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,756 total route-km, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 4,308 total route-km is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,159 total route-km, 1.4× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3,116 total route-km | 3,101 total route-km | 3,125 total route-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 3,283 total route-km | 3,123 total route-km | 3,399 total route-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,864 total route-km | 3,618 total route-km | 4,200 total route-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,297 total route-km | 4,285 total route-km | 4,308 total route-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More infrastructure data for South Korea
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 89.22 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 172.52 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 21.29 million (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 41.17 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.4114 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -3.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 21.29 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.72 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rail lines in South Korea?
- Rail lines in South Korea was 4,308 total route-km in 2021, according to Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC).
- What is the highest rail lines recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4,308 total route-km in 2021.
- What is the lowest rail lines recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,101 total route-km in 1995.
- How does South Korea rank for rail lines?
- South Korea ranks 31st out of 104 countries with data for 2021.
- Is rail lines rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea 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.
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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.