A closer look at the data for the 2025 World Road Statistics. This edition encompasses data for the years 2018 – 2023, for over 200 countries and territories, and over 200 indicators.
Across both developed and emerging economies, road transport remains the backbone of mobility systems and carries the overwhelming majority of people and goods. Yet this dominance also means that roads are the single largest source of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions — a dual reality that now defines the challenge of sustainable road development.
New IRF World Road Statistics data reveal persistent disparities across regions and income groups, compounded by underreporting and weaker institutional capacity to collect reliable data. Strengthening national data systems is as essential as safer design and enforcement if the world is to move toward zero fatalities.
WRS data shows that global road networks are unevenly distributed, with the majority of total road length concentrated in higher-income countries.
WRS data shows that global road networks are unevenly distributed, with the majority of total road length concentrated in higher-income countries.
Road network density serves as a valuable indicator of how infrastructure supply aligns with geography and population dynamics, demonstrating how infrastructure connectivity keeps pace with economic and social needs.
