Bridging the Gap with Data: IRF Releases the 60th Edition of the World Road Statistics

The International Road Federation (IRF) has marked a significant milestone this year by launching the 60th Edition of the IRF World Road Statistics (WRS), a comprehensive and up-to-date source of road and transport data.  

The 2023 edition of WRS presents meticulously updated data spanning the years 2016 to 2021 for over 200 countries and territories, offering over 200 key indicators, including Country Profiles, Road Networks, Road Traffic, Road Expenditures, CO2 emissions, and Energy consumption, among others. Thanks to the generous support of the TotalEnergies Foundation and the Michelin Corporate Foundation, the WRS Data is available for free through the IRF Data Warehouse Online Platform. 

“We are pleased to support the IRF World Road Statistics and the Data Warehouse as we believe in the power of data in informing the development and implementation of road safety policies and actions that are evidence -based. This unique compilation of data that hits a key milestone this year with the delivery of its 60^th edition has largely proved its value over the decades” commented Jacques Emmanuel Saulnier, Senior Vice President Citizenship Engagement & General Delegate of the TotalEnergies Foundation. 

The platform is thoughtfully designed to be interactive, enabling users to easily visualise the data. The platform allows users to, for example, compare data across multiple countries and time periods, compare several metrics for one country, access interactive road safety dashboards, visualise and download data in various formats, and many other possibilities. 

Empowering the Work of other Key Organisations 

Produced annually since 1964 by the IRF, the WRS has evolved into an indispensable reference tool, providing stakeholders with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions, influence policies, and drive the world toward more sustainable and efficient transportation systems. 

The Launch Event of this 2023 edition provided a platform for key organisations in the sector to share their insights on how the WRS contributes to their work. Representatives from other data repositories including SuM4All’s Global Tracking Framework for Transport, the CCG Transport Starter Data Kits, ADB’s Asian Transport Outlook (ATO) and the E-Survey of Road User’s Attitudes (ESRA) explained how the WRS Data allow them to not only complete but also validate their own data collection.  

“Tracking the gap between the transport sector’s ambition and reality requires consistent, reliable, and relevant data. Resources like the IRF World Road Statistics continue to be an indispensable constituent of SuM4All’s overall effort to monitor transport systems performance globally” commented Carolina Monsalve, SuM4All Program Manager, during the Launch Event.

Sudhir Gota, Co-Team Leader, Asian Transport Outlook (ATO) expressed “ATO’s expertise in transforming data into actionable insights, policies, and investments is greatly enhanced by the essential role played by the IRF World Road Statistics. The WRS are instrumental in refining and validating our own data, ultimately reinforcing the successful execution of key ADB and AIIB projects throughout Asia”. 

The IRF World Road Statistics are also making significant contributions to data-driven projects, such as LEARN, a hands-on capacity building initiative to improve knowledge, skills, and collaborative actions on road safety data through a multi-stakeholder approach. 

Gladys Nyachieo, Senior Lecturer at the Multimedia University of Kenya and a member of the LEARN coalition, expressed the significance of this endeavour, stating, “Quality data is hard to obtain because it is typically very expensive. Having access to a free resource such as the IRF World Road Statistics is key to ensuring sustainability, replicability, and the scaling up of road safety data-driven projects like LEARN.” 

To learn more about the IRF World Road Statistics and access the data, visit www.worldroadstatistics.org or contact the International Road Federation (IRF) at stats@irfnet.ch.