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MORE CARS/
INDUSTRIALISED COUNTRIES
source: eb.eiu.com
themes.eea.eu.int
earthtrends.wri.org
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Despite social and environmental concerns, in industrialised countries car ownership has increased dramatically in recent decades…- the United States, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the stock of passenger cars per head was the 10th highest in the world in 2004. At nearly 500 cars per 1,000 of the population, the US has more cars per head than Japan, but fewer than all the other G7 countries. However, if light trucks are included, the US has the highest penetration of passenger vehicles of any country, at over 800 per 1,000 of the population. Passenger-vehicle usage is extremely high. The average person in the US travels about 9,000 km per year by road, compared with 6,000 km in Western Europe and 4,000 km in Japan;
- New Zealand has one of the highest car ownership rate in the world (after the United States and Lebanon), although the government expects the size of the vehicle fleet to rise further, from 1.9 million cars in 1999 to 3.1 million in 2015. The car ownership level in New Zealand has risen steadily since the removal of tariffs, and at 601 vehicles per 1,000 people in 2002 it is higher than those of Germany and neighbouring Australia. Between 1990 and 1999 the New Zealand vehicle fleet grew by almost 26%, and between 2000 and 2003 by a further 9.15%. (Currently, there are around 3.7 million motor vehicles for a total population of about 4 million people!); (1)
- in Australia, since the 1950s the number of private cars has risen dramatically, and continues to do so. In 2003 there were 10.4 million registered cars and station wagons, compared with 769,000 in 1950 and 76,000 in 1920. About 960,000 automobiles have been sold in 2004. Car ownership is high even by developed-country standards, with around 523 cars per 1,000 people in 2003, a level close to that of Germany;(2)
- there were about 53.5 million cars and 19.8 million commercial vehicles in use in Japan in 2001, with an estimated ownership rate of 2.3 persons per car. In 2003, 5.8m new vehicles were sold in Japan, making it the world’s second-largest automotive market after the US. In 2004, the stock of passenger cars was 456 per 1,000 people;
- in the European Union car ownership grew from 291 to 460 cars per 1,000 inhabitants between 1980 and 1999, an average of 2.5% per year (outstripping the 2.2 % annual growth rate of GDP). The strong growth is slowing, however, in countries that already have relatively high numbers of cars per capita, which can be explained by the fact that households may need one or two cars, but generally not more;(3)
- in contrast, countries with lower numbers of cars per capita show rapid increases in vehicle ownership: in 1980, the lowest levels of car ownership were found in Greece and Portugal (84 and 94 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, respectively). These countries had the highest increases in car ownership between 1980 and 1998 (68% in Portugal and 46% in Greece). In 1998, Greece was still the country with lowest car ownership. It can thus be expected that the increase in Greece will continue;(3)
- the total number of European passenger cars is expected to continue to grow up to 2010. However, the average annual growth rate will gradually slow to around 1.4% per year between 2000 and 2010;(3)
- Luxembourg has the highest rate of new cars registered in the region in 2001. In 2004, among EU-15 capitals, Luxembourg and Brussels ranked respectively 1st and 2nd with the highest car ownership rate. Dublin was the 3rd;
- Italy had 35 million vehicles on the road in 2000. In 2003, car ownership was 591 per 1,000. During 2003, 2.25 million new cars were registered in Italy, which is a fall of 1.2% as compared to those registered in 2002;
- in Germany, the number of passenger cars in 2001 was 44.4 million in 2001. There were 539 cars per 1,000 inhabitants. Thus, on average more than every second citizen in Germany has a car;
- France is Europe's 4th-largest car market. In 2002, there were 491 passenger cars per 1000 people. In 2003, a total number of 29.3 million cars (personal and commercial) existed within the country. In 2003, cars sales fell to 214,874 vehicles from a record 246,615 a year earlier;
- in the United Kingdom, in 1999, according to DETR Transport Statistics, there were about 22 million cars licensed on Britain's roads (1 car for every 2.66 people approximately). In 2003, car ownership was 494 cars per 1,000 people. The UK government reckons there will be about a 43% increase in car use by 2020, 53% by 2030 and, if extrapolated to 2050, a doubling of traffic on the roads in Great Britain;(4)
- in total 17.5 million cars were in circulation in Spain in 2001. Spain’s car ownership rate rose from 71 vehicles per 1000 inhabitants in 1970 (39% of EU15 average) to 459 in 2002 (EU15=491), to 476 in 2003;
- thanks to its oil revenue, Norway has one of the wealthiest economies in the world measured in GDP per head, coupled with low rates of unemployment and inflation. Nonetheless, high disposable incomes have not translated into high levels of car ownership. There were only 427 cars per 1,000 people in 2003, reflecting to some extent government policies that discourage the use of personal transport, but also high prices, and in some regions preferences for other means of transport, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Countries with highest car ownership - Number of cars per 1000 people: | | country | 1996 | 1998 | 2000 | 2002 | 2004 | source | | 01 United States | 483.7 | 486 | 502 | 740 | 776 | 5 (96-98), 8, 7, 6 | | 02 | Lebanon | 298.5 | -- | -- | -- | 732* | 5, 9 | | 03 | Luxembourg | 557.5 | 576 | 623 | 643 | -- | 5, 1 (00-02) | | 04 | New Zealand | 474.4 | 483 | 578 | 601 | 602 | 5 (96), 4 | | 05 | Italy | 531 | 545 | 563 | 590 | 593 | 1, 4 (04) | | 06 | Iceland | 462.6 | 510 | 562 | -- | 574 | 5, 3 (00-04) | | 07 | Brunei | 152.3 | -- | -- | -- | 576 | 5, 9 | | 08 | Germany | 500 | 508 | 532 | 542 | 549 | 3 (96), 4 | | 09 | Canada | 445.5 | 458 | 548 | 559 | 563 | 5 (96), 4 | | 10 | Australia | 492.7 | 497 | 507* | 514 | 528 | 5 (96), 4 | | 11 | Malta | 413.5 | 462 | 497 | 508 | -- | 5, 1 (00-02) | | 12 | Switzerland | 462 | 474 | 492 | 506 | 519 | 5 (96), 4 | | 13 | Austria | 458 | 481 | 505 | 489 | 503 | 1 (96), 4 | | 14 | UK | 388 | 451 | 463 | 482 | 506 | 1 (96), 4 | | 15 | France | 437 | 456 | 477 | 490 | 507 | 1, 4 (04) | | 16 | Spain | 376 | 408 | 442 | 460 | 487 | 1, 4 (04) | | 17 | Belgium | 435 | 440 | 458 | 463 | 466 | 1, 4 (04) | | 18 | Sweden | 413 | 428 | 451 | 453 | 459 | 1, 4 (04) | | 19 | Slovenia | 365.4 | 410 | 437 | 459 | 465 | 5 (96), 1, 3 (04) | | 20 | Japan | 372.7 | 395 | 414 | 429 | 456 | 5 (96-98), 4 | | 21 | Netherlands | 370 | 382 | 411 | 424 | 436 | 1, 4 (04) | | 22 | Finland | 379 | 392 | 413 | 422 | 435 | 1, 4 (04) | | 23 | Norway | 379.2 | 404 | 414 | 422 | 437 | 5 (96), 4 | | 24 | Cyprus | 307.4 | 377 | 400 | 405 | -- | 5, 1 (02) | | 25 | Portugal | 269 | 321 | 355 | 375 | 393 | 5 (96), 8 (98), 4 |
* This incredible figure is reported by several sources. However, other sources – for example Encarta - report a more reliable amount of 313 cars per 1,000 inhabitants. ** Data 2003.
Sources: (1) Eurostat; (2) European Commission, DG TREN; (3) official national statistics; (4) The Economist Intelligence Unit; (5) World Bank, World Development Indicators; (6) www.unece.org/stats/trends2005/transport.htm; (7) Transport Statistics of Great Britain, 2002; (8) Swiss Federal Statistical Office; (9) Scotland's Daily Record.
(1) [ www.transport.govt.nz/downloads/transport-overview.pdf]
(2) [ www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/d81efef6e2252cf4ca256f7200833049?OpenDocument]
(3) European Commission, 2001; Eurostat 2002.
(4) Antony Barnett, “Pace hots up in a world forever on the move”, The Guardian in association with The Carbon Trust, 2005. [ observer.guardian.co.uk/carbontrust/story/0,16099,1511925,00.html]
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