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Countries Ranked by Rail lines (total km) (2021)

Rail lines (total km): each country's latest value (2016–2021), ranked from highest to lowest. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).

Summary

United States ranks #1 with 148,550 km. China is second with 109,770 km, 35.3% behind. The top five are United States, China, Russian Federation, India and Canada. Together the top 10 account for 66.4% of the total across the 84 countries listed. The median across all 84 is 2,990 km; Hong Kong SAR, China is last at 230.1 km. United States's figure has fallen 24% since 1997 (195,800 km to 148,550 km in 2021).

#1
United States · 148,550 km
Median
2,990 km
Coverage
84 countries
Data year
2021
Last updated
2026-11-14
Top 10: Rail lines (total km)Bar chart of the top 10: 1. United States 148,550; 2. China 109,770; 3. Russian Federation 85,544; 4. India 68,103; 5. Canada 48,150; 6. Germany 33,401; 7. France 27,716; 8. Ukraine 21,626; 9. South Africa 20,953; 10. Poland 18,620.United States148,550China109,770Russian Federation85,544India68,103Canada48,150Germany33,401France27,716Ukraine21,626South Africa20,953Poland18,620
Top 10: Rail lines (total km) (km). Bar chart of the top 10: 1. United States 148,550; 2. China 109,770; 3. Russian Federation 85,544; 4. India 68,103; 5. Canada 48,150; 6. Germany 33,401; 7. France 27,716; 8. Ukraine 21,626; 9. South Africa 20,953; 10. Poland 18,620.
Rail lines (total km) over time, top 5United States: 195,800 in 1997 to 148,550 in 2021; China: 57,566 in 1997 to 109,770 in 2021; Russian Federation: 86,660 in 1997 to 85,544 in 2021; India: 62,725 in 1997 to 68,103 in 2021; Canada: 46,969 in 2014 to 48,150 in 2021.049,51599,030148,545198,060199720092021United StatesChinaRussian FederationIndiaCanada
Rail lines (total km) over time, top 5 (km). United States: 195,800 in 1997 to 148,550 in 2021; China: 57,566 in 1997 to 109,770 in 2021; Russian Federation: 86,660 in 1997 to 85,544 in 2021; India: 62,725 in 1997 to 68,103 in 2021; Canada: 46,969 in 2014 to 48,150 in 2021.
Share of the total: Rail lines (total km)United States 16.9%; China 12.5%; Russian Federation 9.8%; India 7.8%; Canada 5.5%; All others 47.5%17%13%10%8%48%

United States 16.9%China 12.5%Russian Federation 9.8%India 7.8%Canada 5.5%All others 47.5%

Share of the total: Rail lines (total km), as a share of 84 countries. United States 16.9%; China 12.5%; Russian Federation 9.8%; India 7.8%; Canada 5.5%; All others 47.5%.

Full ranking

Countries Ranked by Rail lines (total km), 2021
RankCountryRail lines (total km) (km)Year
1United States148,5502021
2China109,7702021
3Russian Federation85,5442021
4India68,1032021
5Canada48,1502021
6Germany33,4012021
7France27,7162021
8Ukraine21,6262020
9South Africa20,9532021
10Poland18,6202021
11Argentina17,8662019
12Italy17,3052021
13United Kingdom16,1792021
14Kazakhstan16,0062021
15Spain15,9632021
16Romania10,7692021
17Türkiye10,5462021
18Sweden9,7142021
19Iran, Islamic Rep.9,4552021
20Czechia9,3572021
21Hungary8,0372021
22Pakistan7,7912019
23Turkmenistan7,6802018
24Finland5,9182021
25Indonesia5,4832019
26Belarus5,4742021
27Egypt, Arab Rep.5,1532016
28Austria4,9622021
29Uzbekistan4,7322021
30Korea, Rep.4,3092021
31Switzerland4,1222021
32Thailand4,0922017
33Bulgaria4,0312021
34Algeria4,0012021
35Norway3,8852021
36Congo, Dem. Rep.3,6412021
37Slovak Republic3,6272021
38Belgium3,6122021
39Serbia3,3482021
40Viet Nam3,1592021
41Zimbabwe3,1202020
42Netherlands3,0412021
43Saudi Arabia2,9392018
44Bangladesh2,8772019
45Sudan2,7472020
46Tanzania2,7012017
47Croatia2,6172021
48Portugal2,5272021
49Chile2,3962021
50Greece2,3392021
51Morocco2,2952021
52Azerbaijan2,1392021
53Lithuania1,9192021
54Latvia1,8592021
55Mongolia1,8212021
56Tunisia1,7772021
57Israel1,7202021
58Malaysia1,6552021
59Ireland1,6502021
60Sri Lanka1,5622019
61Uruguay1,4982021
62Georgia1,3872021
63Zambia1,2482019
64Slovenia1,2092021
65Moldova1,1492021
66Estonia1,0332017
67Bosnia and Herzegovina1,0182019
68Botswana8862021
69Cameroon8842021
70Ethiopia7542018
71Mauritania7282021
72Armenia698.42021
73North Macedonia6832021
74Madagascar6732021
75Gabon6482021
76Côte d'Ivoire6392021
77Tajikistan6202021
78Burkina Faso5182021
79Philippines5092016
80Kyrgyz Republic4172021
81United Arab Emirates2792021
82Luxembourg2712021
83Montenegro2502019
84Hong Kong SAR, China230.12021

About the top 10

#1 United States

United States ranks #1 on this list with 148,550 km.

Capital
Washington, D.C.
Continent
North America
Income group
High income
Population
341.78 million people (2025)
GDP
US$30.77 trillion (2025)
GDP per person
US$90,027 (2025)
Life expectancy
78.9 years (2024)
Urban population
80.2% of population (2025)

Largest cities: New York metropolitan area, New York City, Chicago.

Also ranks #1 in gdp (current us$) · #1 in health expenditure per capita · #1 in imports of goods and services.

Full country profile Weather in New York (Purr Weather)

#9 South Africa

South Africa ranks #9 on this list with 20,953 km.

Capital
Pretoria, Cape Town
Continent
Africa
Income group
Upper middle income
Population
64.75 million people (2025)
GDP
US$427.18 billion (2025)
GDP per person
US$6,598 (2025)
Life expectancy
66.3 years (2024)
Urban population
63.8% of population (2025)

Largest cities: City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Johannesburg, Cape Town.

Also ranks #2 in unemployment rate · #2 in youth unemployment rate · #2 in income share of richest 10%.

Full country profile

Profile facts: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0); weather links go to Purr Weather, another ChowChow Labs site.

Related rankings

Source and method

Rail lines (total km): each country's latest value (2016–2021), ranked from highest to lowest.

Source: The World Bank, indicator IS.RRS.TOTL.KM. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved: 2026-11-14.

The World Bank: Rail lines (total route-km): Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC) (via World Development Indicators)

Original data provider, as recorded by the World Bank: Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC).

Values are shown as published. Provider terms: The World Bank. All licences: Sources & licences.