Traffic and Travel

This section allows you to explore data on passenger travel by all modes (including on foot, by air and on water), including data on the average distance per person per year by each of the main modes and the purposes for which they travel. Data is also available on the movement of vehicles including vehicles on public roads measured in vehicle kilometres and its distribution by types of vehicle and classes of road.

To find out more about how data in this section have been compiled, the definitions used and associated caveats go to the Traffic and Travel section of the Data Definitions and Caveats page.

Mobility is increasing almost everywhere (in Russia, travel reduced in the 1990s because of economic difficulties, and data since 2000 are not available). Americans travel much further than Europeans, and rather further still than Australians. In China and India, the average distance travelled per person per year is small, perhaps less than 1000km, but no data exists on the distance people travel by car in these countries.

Data on road traffic is provided for different types of vehicles and for different classes of road. Data are also provided on the average distance travelled in a year on different types of vehicle, and the average traffic flow per day on motorways and on all roads.