Travel statistics: every sourced transport and travel figure tracked here

A running index of the site's travel statistics — surprising, checked and cited numbers on how people and goods move around the world. Every figure links to the full report and its sources.

Aviation & airlines

• The most common plane flown by airlines: the Boeing 737

  The most common plane flown by airlines is the Boeing 737 — roughly a quarter of the aircraft in service in 2016.

• Why the plane you fly is likely newer than your car

  Average aircraft age vs average car age: why the plane you fly on is often newer than the car in your driveway, with 2019 fleet data and 2021 car figures.

• The oldest passenger plane still flying is 47 years old

  The oldest passenger jet in commercial service is a 1974 Boeing 737-200 — 47 years old in 2021.

• Private Jet Prices: The Best VIP Airliners Under $500 Million

  Verified 2018 list prices for the Boeing 747-8, 777 and Airbus A380 — real private jet costs, the Air Force One math, and why VIP interiors cost extra.

• How Much Does It Cost to Paint a Plane? The $200,000 Job

  How much it costs to paint a commercial airliner, how much aircraft paint weighs, the downtime involved, and why some airlines once left their planes bare metal.

• The Value of the World's Aircraft Fleet, Explained

  What is the value of the world's aircraft?

• How Much Jet Fuel Is Used by the World's Airlines?

  How much jet fuel is used by commercial aviation each year — the volume in litres and tonnes, what the fuel bill costs airlines, and how much CO2 it emits.

• Airplane Radiation: How Much Radiation You Get From Flying

  How much airplane radiation you get from flying: a long-haul flight vs a chest X-ray vs a CT scan in mSv, and why pilots accumulate the equivalent of dozens of X-rays a year.

• Airline Wi-Fi in 2018: Which Airlines Had Onboard Internet

  Which airlines offered onboard Wi-Fi in 2018, what it cost, and how ATG and satellite technology compared, per a Skytrax Top 100 review.

• Airline meals getting more fattening? What the data shows

  Airline meal calories rose for six years, then fell.

• How Many Toilets Are on a Plane? Passenger Ratios by Jet

  How many toilets on a plane, and the real airplane toilet to passenger ratio — from 1 per 28 on a 747-8 to 1 per 64 on a dense narrowbody, and why long-haul cabins run short.

• Where Does Airplane Toilet Waste Go? The Vacuum System Explained

  Where does airplane toilet waste go?

• Lost Luggage Statistics: How Much Airline Baggage Is Lost Each Year

  Lost luggage statistics for the airline industry: how much baggage is mishandled, lost or stolen each year, how much it costs, and why the numbers keep falling.

• Ghost Flights: Heathrow's Empty Pandemic Planes Cost $200M

  Ghost flight statistics: how many near-empty planes left UK airports in the pandemic, why Heathrow topped the list, and the estimated $200m fuel bill.

• Airline Fuel Surcharges vs Jet Fuel Prices, 2014–2016

  Jet fuel prices crashed roughly 60% from 2014 to 2016, but airline fuel surcharges often didn't follow.

• British Airways IT Failure Statistics: What the 2017 Outage Cost

  How British Airways' May 2017 IT failure grounded hundreds of flights, stranded 75,000 passengers, and cost parent company IAG about £80 million.

• Billion-Dollar Airline Routes: The World's Richest Flights

  The billion-dollar airline routes: which single flight corridors earn the most revenue, why JFK–Heathrow tops the list, and how the most profitable airline routes are ranked.

• World's Shortest and Longest Scheduled Flights Compared

  The world's shortest scheduled flight lasts 90 seconds; the longest, as of 2017, ran 17.5 hours non-stop.

• Countries With the Most Airports: The CIA Factbook Ranking

  The countries with the most airports, per the CIA World Factbook, and why the total changes depending on which aviation database is doing the counting.

At the airport

• UK airport pick-up parking charges: up to £27 for 3 hours

  UK airport short-stay parking charges compared: what it cost to pick a loved one up in early 2020, from free at Edinburgh to £27 for three hours at Luton.

• Airport Security Wait Times and How Early to Arrive

  Airport security wait times explained: how long security and check-in really take, how early to arrive for domestic and international flights, and what drives long waits.

• Airports Named After Cities They Aren't Near

  Verified distances for budget airports branded after cities they barely reach — Paris-Vatry, Hahn, Oxford and more — and why airlines use them anyway.

• Ship Your Bag or Check It? Courier vs Airline Fees

  Does it pay to courier a suitcase ahead instead of checking it on a budget airline?

• The Great TSA Robbery: TSA's Unclaimed Checkpoint Cash

  TSA statistics on unclaimed loose change left at US airport checkpoints: annual totals, the trend since 2018, top airports, and where the law says it goes.

Rail & getting around

• High-Speed Rail vs Plane: Journey Time, Cost & Carbon

  High speed rail vs plane on medium-haul corridors: how London–Paris, Madrid–Barcelona and Tokyo–Osaka compare on journey time, cost and carbon per passenger.

• The World's Longest Passenger Train Journeys, Ranked by Distance

  The world's longest passenger train journeys ranked by distance — from the 10,267 km Moscow–Pyongyang service to the Trans-Siberian, the Canadian and beyond.

• Best Public Transport Networks: How the World's Metros Compare

  The cities with the biggest public transport networks, ranked by metro age, length, stations and ridership against Wikipedia's global metro dataset.

• Subway construction costs: the $234.65 billion London tube

  Subway construction costs compared: rebuilding the London Underground at 1990s prices would run an estimated $234.65 billion.

• Is an Uber Cheaper Than a Taxi to the Airport? 2016 Data

  A 2016 fare comparison of Uber and taxis to and from major UK and US airports: when UberX was cheaper, when surge pricing flipped it, and what has changed since.

• Skyscraper Viewing Deck Prices: The $0.46-a-Floor Elevator

  Skyscraper viewing-deck ticket prices compared per floor climbed, including what the $0.46-a-floor figure for One World Trade Center actually means.

• Most Energy Efficient Transport: E-Bike, Train or Electric Car?

  Which electric mode is the most energy efficient transport per passenger-km?

Hotels & stays

• Cheapest Airbnb cities in 2016: studios from $26 a night

  Verified 2016 GoEuro/AirDNA figures on the world's cheapest Airbnb cities: Eastern Europe led on price, a pattern that still echoes in budget travel.

• Is an Airbnb Cheaper Than a Hotel? What the Data Shows

  Airbnb vs hotel prices compared: a 2016 88-city study plus current research on group size, length of stay and fees — with the arithmetic shown.

• Cities Where Airbnb Hosts Make the Most Money: 2016/17 Data

  Which US cities paid Airbnb hosts the most in 2016/17, why the best returns were often elsewhere, and how regulation has since changed the maths.

• Hotel WiFi Speeds: Fastest and Slowest Cities Ranked (2016)

  Which cities and hotels had the fastest and slowest WiFi in 2016?

• World's Most Expensive Hotel Suites: 2017 Nightly Rates

  The world's most expensive hotel suites as reported in 2017 — Geneva's $80,000-a-night penthouse, New York's Ty Warner Suite, and how the figures were checked.

• The $6,500 Hotel Bed: What a Luxury Hotel Mattress Costs

  Why luxury hotel beds cost thousands, how much hotel beds cost to buy, and what you actually pay to take home the bed you slept in — from the Savoy to the Westin Heavenly Bed.

• Marriott Soap Spending: The $90 Million a Year Estimate

  Marriott's estimated $90 million annual bathroom-soap bill, checked against room counts and unit costs, plus what happens to the soap hotels throw away.

• Cities With the Fewest Hotel Rooms for the Tourists They Draw

  Which major cities run shortest on hotel rooms for their visitor numbers?

Tourism & destinations

• The World's Most Visited Tourist Attractions by Numbers

  The world's most visited tourist attractions ranked by annual visitor numbers — the biggest theme parks, museums and landmarks, and how each one is actually counted.

• The World's Least-Visited Countries, Ranked by Arrivals

  Which countries receive the fewest tourists?

• Which Countries Benefit Most From Tourism? GDP Share Ranked

  Which countries rely on tourism most?

• Macau Tourism GDP Statistics: 72% Share, Before and After COVID

  Macau's tourism sector made up 72% of GDP in 2019, the highest reliance on tourism worldwide.

• Only 2–4% of the World Travelled Internationally in 2018

  UNWTO logged 1.4 billion international arrivals in 2018 — but that counts trips, not people.

• How Much Money Is Thrown Into the Trevi Fountain?

  How much money is thrown into the Trevi Fountain each year, how much it collects per day, who sweeps up the coins, and where the Trevi Fountain money goes — Caritas.

• 2018 World Cup by the Numbers: Attendance, Cities & Cost Data

  The 2018 World Cup by the numbers: 3.03m attendance across 11 host cities, verified visitor counts, and Russia's $11-14bn hosting cost, sourced.

Passports & borders

• The world's most powerful passports in 2016: Henley ranking

  Which passport was the most powerful in 2016?

• Passport power rank 2017: the world's strongest passports

  The 2017 Henley passport power rank: Germany led with visa-free access to 176 destinations and Afghanistan came last with 24.

• Passport power rank 2018: Germany's fifth year on top

  The 2018 Henley Passport Index: Germany led for a fifth straight year on 177 visa-free destinations, as Singapore surged to second on 176.

• Most powerful passports in 2021: the Henley ranking

  Most powerful passports in 2021: Japan, Singapore and Germany topped the Henley Passport Index by visa-free access — and why COVID-19 froze those rights.

• Passport fees around the world in 2018: cheapest to priciest

  How much a passport cost in 2018, country by country: the most and least expensive passports, cost per year, and how many hours of work a passport took.

• Passport Colours: Why Most Are Red, Blue, Green or Black

  Why passports come in only a few colours, and how regional blocs, religion and practicality decide a country's choice.

• The Most Expensive Tourist Visas for Americans in 2017

  Nigeria topped 2017's costliest tourist-visa rankings for Americans, at up to $265 — but not every entry holds up.

Prices around the world

• Big Mac Index: where a Big Mac was cheapest in 2016

  The Economist's Big Mac Index explained: how burger prices gauge currency over- and undervaluation, and where a Big Mac was cheapest in July 2016.

• Beer price index 2016: cheapest and priciest cities in the world

  GoEuro's 2016 Beer Price Index priced a beer in 70 cities.

• Cost of living in 2017: most and least expensive cities

  The most and least expensive cities to live in 2017: Numbeo's crowd-sourced index (New York = 100) put Swiss cities on top and Cairo among the cheapest.

• Currency Millionaire: How Few Dollars It Actually Takes

  How few US dollars it took to hold a million units of the world's weakest currencies in 2017 — from the Iranian rial to the Vietnamese dong.

• Duty-Free Savings: How Much You Actually Save by Category

  How much travellers really save at airport duty-free versus the high street, by category — where spirits win and where perfume, electronics and sunglasses don't.

• Christmas Spending Statistics: What People Spend by Country

  Verified Christmas spending statistics by country: median gift budgets, debt rates, and how the 2020 pandemic season compared, per ING and Deloitte.

• The Cost of 1GB of Mobile Data by Country, Cheapest to Priciest

  How much 1GB of mobile data costs by country in 2026 — an interactive world map and full price table, from the cheapest countries (Israel $0.02) to the priciest (Zimbabwe $43.75).

Money & the economy

• National Holidays Cost the US $325 Billion a Year, Checked

  The claim that US holidays cost $325 billion a year, rebuilt from 2022 GDP and workforce data — the arithmetic, the assumptions, and why it's disputed.

• How Much Is an Olympic Gold Medal Worth? Tokyo 2020 Numbers

  How much is an Olympic gold medal worth?

• Greenland's land area grew 20%: which countries shrank most

  Between 1961 and 2014 Greenland's recorded land area grew over 20% while 37 countries shrank.

• The Cities Projected to Double Their Population by 2030

  Which cities are projected to double in population by 2030, according to UN data — and why these urban-growth forecasts keep being revised.

• Do You Need £1 Million of Travel Medical Insurance?

  Why £1m/$1m medical cover matters: real repatriation, air ambulance and US hospital cost examples behind today's travel insurance minimums.

• Concorde vs Hyperloop: Which Is Actually Faster?

  Concorde cruised at Mach 2.04 (2,180 km/h) before retiring in 2003.

Leisure & adventure

• What It Cost to Climb Mount Everest in 2017

  How much it cost to climb Mount Everest in 2017 — the $11,000 Nepal permit, guided-expedition tiers from $30,000 to $115,000, plus gear and oxygen.

• Ski Resort Food & Drink Prices: The £8.86 Slope Coffee

  How much a ski holiday costs beyond the lift pass: on-slope coffee, lunch, beer and wine prices, from the 2018 Post Office Ski Resort Report.

• Ski Resort Revenue: How Much Lift Passes Make Each Year

  Ski resort revenue explained: how much lift-pass and ski-pass sales make each year, what Vail and Alterra earn, and how the Epic and Ikon season pass changed the economics.

• Calories Burned Skiing: Downhill vs Cross-Country by Weight

  How many calories does skiing actually burn?

• Las Vegas Strip Gambling Revenue Statistics, 2018 Data

  How much Las Vegas Strip casinos actually won in 2018, checked against Nevada Gaming Control Board data, and how that figure compares with the state total.

Safety

• Most dangerous cities in the world by homicide rate in 2017

  The world's most dangerous cities ranked by homicide rate as of 2017: the CCSPJP index of murders per 100,000, led by Caracas and Acapulco.

• Safest cities 2017: the world ranked by the Safe City Index

  The safest cities of 2017 by Numbeo's Safe City Index: Abu Dhabi led, with Munich, Taipei and Basel close behind — the full top 10, method and sources.

• Most and Least Peaceful Countries: 2017 Global Peace Index

  The 2017 Global Peace Index ranks Iceland the most peaceful nation and Syria the least, scored across 23 indicators covering 163 countries.

Sea & shipping

• World's Largest Container Ship: Could It Carry $29bn of iPhones?

  HMM Algeciras carried 23,964 TEU in 2021 — enough, one estimate claimed, for $29bn of iPhones.

• COVID-19 and the $1 Billion Cruise Ship: Symphony of the Seas

  Verified figures on Symphony of the Seas — the $1.35bn, 6,680-passenger ship — and how COVID-19 collapsed Royal Caribbean's revenue by 80% in 2020.

Frequently asked questions