Rail lines (total route-km) in South Africa
South Africa: Rail lines (total route-km) was 20,953 total route-km in 2021. ▬ Flat
Latest (2021)
20,953 total route-km
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
9th
of 104 countries
All-time high
20,953 total route-km
in 2015
All-time low
20,953 total route-km
in 2015
Years of data
7
2015–2021
Rail lines in South Africa, 2015–2021
Source: Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC). Measured in total route-km.
Analysis
In 2021, rail lines in South Africa stood at 20,953 total route-km. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
That places South Africa 9th out of 104 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Rail lines (total route-km) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | total route-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 20,953 total route-km | — |
| 2016 | 20,953 total route-km | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 20,953 total route-km | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 20,953 total route-km | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 20,953 total route-km | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 20,953 total route-km | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 20,953 total route-km | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 20,953 total route-km is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,980 total route-km, 10.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 20,953 total route-km is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 889.6 total route-km, 23.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 20,953 total route-km | 20,953 total route-km | 20,953 total route-km | 5 |
| 2020s | 20,953 total route-km | 20,953 total route-km | 20,953 total route-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More infrastructure data for South Africa
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 114.79 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 179.34 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 1.01 million (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 1.58 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0158 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -25.13 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 1.01 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.79 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rail lines in South Africa?
- Rail lines in South Africa was 20,953 total route-km in 2021, according to Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC).
- What is the highest rail lines recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 20,953 total route-km in 2015.
- What is the lowest rail lines recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 20,953 total route-km in 2015.
- How does South Africa rank for rail lines?
- South Africa ranks 9th out of 104 countries with data for 2021.
- Is rail lines rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa 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 — 7 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.