Rail lines in South Africa

South Africa: Rail lines was 20,953 total route-km in 2021. ▬ Flat

Latest (2021)
20,953 total route-km
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
9th
of 104 countries
All-time high
20,953 total route-km
in 2015
All-time low
20,953 total route-km
in 2015
Years of data
7
2015–2021

Rail lines in South Africa, 2015–2021

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k2015201820212015: 21.0k total route-km2016: 21.0k total route-km2017: 21.0k total route-km2018: 21.0k total route-km2019: 21.0k total route-km2020: 21.0k total route-km2021: 21.0k total route-km

Source: Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC). Measured in total route-km.

Analysis

In 2021, rail lines in South Africa stood at 20,953 total route-km. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

That places South Africa 9th out of 104 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 20,953 total route-km 20,953 total route-km 20,953 total route-km 5
2020s 20,953 total route-km 20,953 total route-km 20,953 total route-km 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 6 Germany 33,401 total route-km compare
  2. 7 France 27,716 total route-km compare
  3. 8 Ukraine 21,626 total route-km compare
  4. 10 Poland 18,620 total route-km compare
  5. 11 Argentina 17,866 total route-km compare
  6. 12 Italy 17,305 total route-km compare

See the full ranking of 104 places →

More infrastructure data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is rail lines in South Africa?
Rail lines in South Africa was 20,953 total route-km in 2021, according to Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC).
What is the highest rail lines recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 20,953 total route-km in 2015.
What is the lowest rail lines recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 20,953 total route-km in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for rail lines?
South Africa ranks 9th out of 104 countries with data for 2021.
Is rail lines rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC), published as part of Rail lines (total route-km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Rail lines (total route-km)
Unit
total route-km
Source
Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
104 places, 2,110 data points, 1995–2021
Last refreshed

The total length of rail line in the country operated for passenger transport, goods transport, or both.