Rail freight traffic — all countries

Rail freight traffic — World

Rail freight traffic in the world in 2007 — 5,646 M t-km. Since 1995, the indicator has risen by 173.1%.

2007 5,646 M t-km +15.38% vs 2006
World rank
Period maximum 5,646 M t-km2007
Period minimum 2,067 M t-km1995

Trend over time

1995–2007 · million tonne-kilometers

Rail freight traffic — World, 1995–20072,0003,0004,0005,0006,00019951997199920012003200520071995: 2,067 M t-km1996: 2,085 M t-km1997: 2,288 M t-km1998: 2,595 M t-km1999: 2,106 M t-km2000: 2,265 M t-km2001: 3,942 M t-km2002: 3,422 M t-km2003: 3,274 M t-km2004: 3,904 M t-km2005: 4,037 M t-km2006: 4,893 M t-km2007: 5,646 M t-km
Change over the period: +3,579 (+173.13%) Average annual rate: 8.73 %

Comparison, 2007

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: World

World 5,646 M t-km
World 5,646 M t-km
Rail freight traffic — World, by year World All countries CSV XLSX
Year M t-km Change Change, %
2007 5,646 +753 +15.38%
2006 4,893 +856 +21.2%
2005 4,037 +133 +3.41%
2004 3,904 +630 +19.24%
2003 3,274 −148 −4.32%
2002 3,422 −520 −13.19%
2001 3,942 +1,678 +74.08%
2000 2,265 +159 +7.53%
1999 2,106 −489 −18.83%
1998 2,595 +307 +13.42%
1997 2,288 +203 +9.71%
1996 2,085 +18 +0.87%
1995 2,067

About the indicator

Rail freight traffic in millions of tonne-kilometers: the mass of the freight carried multiplied by the distance of the haul. The highest values belong to countries with a long reach and large-scale extraction of raw materials, where rail remains the cheapest way to move bulk cargo over long distances.

Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank), license CC BY 4.0.