⚠️ Unconfirmedsocial2021

Adults who used active mobility (walked or cycled) as their main way to get to work or school

Share of employed adults (or students) whose main commuting mode is walking or cycling, based on harmonized census/survey travel-to-work data (latest 2019–2023).

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Key Insights

Global Average
19.0%
Median: 14.1%
Countries Covered
148
with available data
Highest
Rwanda
62.0%
Lowest
United Arab Emirates
0.4%
Top 5 Countries
1Rwanda62.0%
2Uganda58.9%
3Malawi57.2%
4Ethiopia55.8%
5United Republic of Tanzania53.5%
By Region
Other26.1%(73 countries)
Africa23.9%(9 countries)
South America14.9%(7 countries)
Europe10.5%(31 countries)
Asia9.9%(22 countries)
Key Findings
  • Active commuting can exceed 50% in several low-income countries where walking is the default option and motorization rates are low (e.g., Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania).
  • High-income countries generally show single-digit shares unless cycling is strongly normalized (e.g., Netherlands, Denmark).
  • Even modest differences (e.g., 5% vs. 10%) can imply millions more daily active trips in large countries.
  • The indicator captures both infrastructure/culture (cycling networks, safety) and economic constraints (vehicle ownership and transit affordability).

Country Rankings

Top 10 Countries

Bottom 10 Countries

Data Analysis

Value Distribution

How countries are distributed across the value range

Low (0.4%)High (62.0%)

Regional Comparison

Average values by world region (Global avg: 19.0%)

Other (73)
Africa (9)
South America (7)
Europe (31)
Asia (22)
North America (4)
Oceania (2)

About This Statistic

This statistic measures the share of people who primarily commute by walking or cycling. It is typically derived from national population censuses or large household surveys that ask respondents for their “main mode” of travel to work (and in some countries, to education). Because it reflects everyday mobility choices, it’s a useful lens on public health, urban design, transport affordability, and emissions.

Cross-country comparisons should be treated carefully: questionnaires differ (work-only vs. work+school; “main mode” vs. multi-modal trips; whether remote workers are excluded), and results can change with fuel prices, cycling infrastructure, safety, and urban form. Still, the indicator is widely available for many countries through harmonized international statistical collections built from official national sources.

Full Data

Rank Country Value
1Rwanda62.0%
2Uganda58.9%
3Malawi57.2%
4Ethiopia55.8%
5United Republic of Tanzania53.5%
6Mozambique52.6%
7Djibouti50.2%
8South Sudan48.4%
9Burundi47.5%
10Benin46.3%
11Burkina Faso45.6%
12Lesotho44.7%
13Timor-Leste44.2%
14Republic of The Gambia43.1%
15Kenya42.0%
16Senegal41.0%
17Nepal40.5%
18Eswatini39.8%
19Madagascar39.3%
20Togo39.0%
21Cambodia38.8%
22Niger37.7%
23Mali36.9%
24Cote d'Ivoire36.4%
25Ghana35.9%
26Zambia34.7%
27Mongolia34.5%
28Guinea33.8%
29Maldives33.0%
30Somalia32.8%
31Cameroon32.1%
32Myanmar31.4%
33Guinea-Bissau30.2%
34Sri Lanka29.7%
35Zimbabwe29.6%
36Liberia29.1%
37Lao People's Democratic Republic28.9%
38Andorra28.6%
39Sierra Leone28.3%
40Gabon28.0%
41Sudan27.9%
42Netherlands27.6%
43Haiti27.4%
44Namibia24.9%
45Albania24.3%
46Mauritania23.7%
47Bangladesh22.5%
48Tajikistan22.0%
49Nigeria21.9%
50Bolivia21.0%
51Vietnam20.7%
52Iceland20.5%
53Yemen20.4%
54Uzbekistan19.9%
55Armenia19.8%
56Ukraine19.5%
57Suriname19.0%
58Brazil18.7%
59Moldova, Republic of18.2%
60Ecuador18.1%
61Paraguay18.0%
62El Salvador17.6%
63Denmark17.2%
64Morocco17.1%
65Colombia16.9%
66Egypt16.8%
67Nicaragua16.5%
68Cuba16.0%
69Indonesia15.8%
70Uruguay15.6%
71Peru15.2%
72Norway14.8%
73India14.6%
74People's Republic of China14.2%
75Venezuela14.1%
76Philippines13.6%
77Greece12.9%
78Chile12.4%
79Guatemala12.2%
80Finland12.0%
81Pakistan11.9%
82Honduras11.7%
83Sweden11.5%
84Romania10.9%
85Papua New Guinea10.8%
86Bulgaria10.6%
87Estonia10.4%
88Angola10.2%
89Hungary10.1%
90Slovenia10.1%
91Dominican Republic9.9%
92Latvia9.8%
93Barbados9.4%
94Switzerland9.2%
95Belgium9.1%
96Japan9.0%
97Lithuania8.9%
98Croatia8.7%
99Mexico8.6%
100Jamaica8.5%
101Poland8.4%
102Kyrgyzstan8.2%
103Portugal8.1%
104Germany8.0%
105Bosnia and Herzegovina7.9%
106Serbia7.8%
107Algeria7.8%
108Czech Republic7.6%
109Georgia7.5%
110South Africa7.5%
111Ireland7.4%
112Belize7.3%
113Italy7.2%
114Panama7.2%
115Slovakia7.1%
116Argentina7.1%
117Montenegro7.0%
118France6.9%
119Mauritius6.8%
120Luxembourg6.7%
121Thailand6.6%
122Austria6.5%
123Russian Federation6.3%
124Islamic Republic of Iran6.2%
125Costa Rica6.1%
126Malaysia6.0%
127Spain6.0%
128Türkiye5.9%
129Lebanon5.6%
130United Kingdom5.4%
131Trinidad and Tobago5.2%
132Iraq5.1%
133Israel4.9%
134New Zealand4.8%
135Kazakhstan4.4%
136Australia4.2%
137Botswana3.9%
138Canada3.8%
139Tunisia3.8%
140Jordan3.2%
141Libya3.1%
142United States of America3.1%
143Bahrain1.6%
144Saudi Arabia1.4%
145Singapore1.2%
146Kuwait1.1%
147Oman1.0%
148United Arab Emirates0.4%
Showing 148 of 148 countries

Topics

Data Source

This data comes from IPUMS International (harmonized census microdata) / National Statistical Offices (2021).

View Original Source