Countries by Railway Network

What Railway Length (Km) Measures

Railway Length (Km) is a comparative indicator tracked across countries by the World Bank. It provides a quantitative basis for cross-national comparison, enabling researchers and policymakers to benchmark national performance on this dimension against global peers.

Why This Ranking Matters

Examining Railway Length (Km) across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.

Global Range

Values range from 230.1 (Hong Kong) to 148.6K (United States) — a 646-fold difference across 68 countries.

Regional Patterns

European countries dominate this ranking, holding 13 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.

The distribution is highly right-skewed — a few countries have exceptionally high values that pull the average well above the median. The median (3.2K) is far more representative than the mean (12.0K).

Notable Outliers

United States holds a significant lead over China, with a 35% gap between first and second place. While several countries cluster near the top, the leader's margin is notable.

Continental Leaders

North America

United States

148.6K

Asia

China

109.8K

Europe

Russia

85.5K

Africa

South Africa

21.0K

South America

Chile

2.4K