China, the fourth largest country in terms of area in the world, has been quick to develop state-of-the-art mobility infrastructure. Its vast network of roads allows for the transportation of billions of tons of cargo each year. In 2022, the volume of road freight traffic in China amounted to nearly 6,896 billion ton-kilometers.
Road travel in China
Since its peak in 2012, the number of passengers of public road transport in China has reduced drastically, with numbers falling to as low as 3.55 billion in 2022. The volume of public road passenger traffic turnover in that year fell to less than 241 billion passenger-kilometers, the lowest on record, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted inter-and intra-city travel.
Other means of transportation in China
Railways present a quicker alternative to roadways when transporting people and goods over long distances. In 2022, the average distance traveled by railway passengers was 393 kilometers while cargo was transported over an average distance of 721 kilometers. Meanwhile, the volume of both passenger and cargo airway traffic turnover fell to 631 billion passenger-kilometers and 27.8 billion ton-kilometers, respectively, in 2021.
Volume of road freight traffic in China from 2008 to 2022
(in billion ton-kilometers)
Characteristic
Cargo volume in billion ton-kilometers
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Exclusive Premium Statistic
To access all Premium Statistics, you need a paid Statista Account
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Ministry of Transport of China. (June 16, 2023). Volume of road freight traffic in China from 2008 to 2022 (in billion ton-kilometers) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/275915/volume-of-road-freight-traffic-in-china/
Ministry of Transport of China. "Volume of road freight traffic in China from 2008 to 2022 (in billion ton-kilometers)." Chart. June 16, 2023. Statista. Accessed June 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/275915/volume-of-road-freight-traffic-in-china/
Ministry of Transport of China. (2023). Volume of road freight traffic in China from 2008 to 2022 (in billion ton-kilometers). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/275915/volume-of-road-freight-traffic-in-china/
Ministry of Transport of China. "Volume of Road Freight Traffic in China from 2008 to 2022 (in Billion Ton-kilometers)." Statista, Statista Inc., 16 Jun 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/275915/volume-of-road-freight-traffic-in-china/
Ministry of Transport of China, Volume of road freight traffic in China from 2008 to 2022 (in billion ton-kilometers) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/275915/volume-of-road-freight-traffic-in-china/ (last visited June 18, 2024)
Volume of road freight traffic in China from 2008 to 2022 (in billion ton-kilometers) [Graph], Ministry of Transport of China, June 16, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/275915/volume-of-road-freight-traffic-in-china/