Railways, goods transported (million ton-km) in North America
North America: Railways, goods transported (million ton-km) was 1.33 million million ton-km in 2021. ▲ Rising
Railways, goods transported in North America, 1995–2021
Source: Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
In 2021, railways, goods transported in North America stood at 1.33 million million ton-km.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.8% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, railways, goods transported in North America peaked at 1.91 million million ton-km in 1995 and was at its lowest, 1.11 million million ton-km, in 1996.
That places North America 1st out of 30 groups 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.
Railways, goods transported (million ton-km) in North America, year by year
| Year | million ton-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1.91 million million ton-km | — |
| 1996 | 1.11 million million ton-km | -41.6% |
| 1997 | 1.12 million million ton-km | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 1.13 million million ton-km | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 1.18 million million ton-km | +4.1% |
| 2000 | 1.21 million million ton-km | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 1.24 million million ton-km | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 1.24 million million ton-km | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 1.28 million million ton-km | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 1.38 million million ton-km | +7.4% |
| 2005 | 1.41 million million ton-km | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 1.46 million million ton-km | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 1.47 million million ton-km | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 1.46 million million ton-km | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 1.27 million million ton-km | -13.6% |
| 2010 | 1.40 million million ton-km | +10.7% |
| 2011 | 1.44 million million ton-km | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 1.43 million million ton-km | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.46 million million ton-km | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 1.56 million million ton-km | +6.5% |
| 2015 | 1.48 million million ton-km | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 1.36 million million ton-km | -8.4% |
| 2017 | 1.43 million million ton-km | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 1.49 million million ton-km | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 1.40 million million ton-km | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 1.27 million million ton-km | -9.2% |
| 2021 | 1.33 million million ton-km | +4.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Railways, goods transported (million ton-km) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | -41.6% | 1.91 million million ton-km | 1.11 million million ton-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.29 million million ton-km | 1.11 million million ton-km | 1.91 million million ton-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.34 million million ton-km | 1.21 million million ton-km | 1.47 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.44 million million ton-km | 1.36 million million ton-km | 1.56 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.30 million million ton-km | 1.27 million million ton-km | 1.33 million million ton-km | 2 |
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 railways, goods transported in North America?
- Railways, goods transported in North America was 1.33 million million ton-km in 2021, according to Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC).
- What is the highest railways, goods transported recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 1.91 million million ton-km in 1995.
- What is the lowest railways, goods transported recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.11 million million ton-km in 1996.
- How does North America rank for railways, goods transported?
- North America ranks 1st out of 30 groups with data for 2021.
- Is railways, goods transported rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North America data come from?
- The figures come from Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC), published as part of Railways, goods transported (million ton-km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Goods transported by railway are the volume of goods transported by railway, measured in metric tons times kilometers traveled.