| Code | IS.ROD.DNST.K2 |
| Indicator Name | Road density (km of road per 100 sq. km of land area) |
| Long definition | Road density is the ratio of the length of the country's total road network to the country's land area. The road network includes all roads in the country: motorways, highways, main or national roads, secondary or regional roads, and other urban and rural roads. |
| Source | International Road Federation, World Road Statistics and electronic files, except where noted. |
| Topic | Infrastructure: Transportation |
| Periodicity | Annual |
| Aggregation method | Weighted average |
| Statistical concept and methodology | National road associations are the primary source of International Road Federation (IRF) data. |
| Development relevance | Roads are line of communication (travelled way) using a stabilized base other than rails or air strips open to public traffic, primarily for the use of road motor vehicles running on their own wheels (OECD). The United States has the largest network of roads in the world.
Traffic congestion in urban areas constrains economic productivity, damages people's health, and degrades the quality of life. In recent years ownership of passenger cars has increased, and the expansion of economic activity has led to more goods and services being transported by road over greater distances. These developments have increased demand for roads and vehicles, adding to urban congestion, air pollution, health hazards, and traffic accidents and injuries.
Transport infrastructure - highways, railways, ports and waterways, and airports and air traffic control systems - and the services that flow from it are crucial to the activities of households, producers, and governments. Because performance indicators vary widely by transport mode and focus (whether physical infrastructure or the services flowing from that infrastructure), highly specialized and carefully specified indicators are required to measure a country's transport infrastructure.
The road transport industry a vital engine of global socio-economic growth. It is of vital importance for economic development, creating direct and indirect employment, supporting tourism and local businesses. Economic growth, technological change, market liberalization, and oil prices affect road transport throughout the world.
While sustainable mobility is recognized as one of the keys to social and economic development, roads are becoming increasingly congested, and heavy road transportation, especially in congested urban areas, is causing negative environmental impacts. IRF estimates that every six seconds someone is killed or seriously injured on the world's roads. Nine in ten of these casualties occur in low-income and middle-income countries, where traffic levels are rapidly increasing. This is a human, economic and environmental disaster that is preventable. |
| Limitations and exceptions | National road associations are the primary source of International Road Federation (IRF) data. In countries where a national road association is lacking or does not respond, other agencies are contacted, such as road directorates, ministries of transport or public works, or central statistical offices. As a result, definitions and data collection methods and quality differ, and the compiled data are of uneven quality. Moreover, the quality of transport service (reliability, transit time, and condition of goods delivered) is rarely measured, though it may be as important as quantity in assessing an economy's transport system.
Data for transport sectors are not always internationally comparable. Unlike for demographic statistics, national income accounts, and international trade data, the collection of infrastructure data has not been "internationalized." |
| General comments | Restricted use: Reproduction is strictly prohibited. Extracts must be quoted, after agreement with IRF Geneva, providing the source as IRF World Road Statistics. Please contact info@irfnet.ch and stats@irfnet.ch. [Note: Data have been removed from external publication pending a review of their licensing agreement.] |
| License URL | https://www.irf.global/terms/ |
| License Type | Use and distribution of these data are subject to IRF terms and conditions. |
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