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Railway freight cars: top exporters and importers (2024)

In 2024, world trade in railway freight cars totaled $7.4 billion (1.5 million tonnes). The top exporters were Mexico (43%), the United States (9%) and China (8%); the top importers were the United States (46%), Germany (11%) and Mexico (4%). Compared with 2019, the value rose 9%.

Summary

World trade
$7.4billion
Tonnes
1.5million tonnes
Price per tonne
$3,492
The largest flows between countries. Width: value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand

Top exporters

  1. Mexico$3.2 billion · 42.8%
  2. United States$636 million · 8.6%
  3. China$615 million · 8.3%
  4. Romania$455 million · 6.2%
  5. Slovakia$454 million · 6.2%
  6. Russia$311 million · 4.2%
  7. Canada$285 million · 3.9%
  8. Croatia$211 million · 2.9%
  9. Poland$196 million · 2.7%
  10. Bulgaria$185 million · 2.5%
  11. Turkey$149 million · 2%
  12. Spain$102 million · 1.4%
  13. Germany$90 million · 1.2%
  14. Serbia$80 million · 1.1%
  15. Austria$70 million · 0.95%
  16. India$68 million · 0.92%
  17. Czechia$64 million · 0.87%
  18. Ukraine$43 million · 0.59%
  19. France$32 million · 0.44%
  20. Netherlands$25 million · 0.34%
    re-exports

Top importers

  1. United States$3.4 billion · 45.9%
  2. Germany$797 million · 10.8%
  3. Mexico$321 million · 4.4%
  4. Canada$320 million · 4.3%
  5. Kazakhstan$298 million · 4%
  6. Hungary$241 million · 3.3%
  7. Austria$232 million · 3.2%
  8. Australia$215 million · 2.9%
  9. Slovakia$140 million · 1.9%
  10. Saudi Arabia$134 million · 1.8%
  11. Kenya$133 million · 1.8%
  12. France$124 million · 1.7%
  13. Czechia$98 million · 1.3%
  14. Poland$97 million · 1.3%
  15. Myanmar$92 million · 1.3%
  16. Mozambique$84 million · 1.1%
  17. Switzerland$64 million · 0.87%
  18. Spain$54 million · 0.73%
  19. Ireland$50 million · 0.67%
  20. United Kingdom$46 million · 0.63%

Trend

Who sells it

Mexico has been the top exporter since 2024

Value in USD billions. The five largest exporters in 2024.

  • Mexico 3.2
  • United States 0.64
  • China 0.61
  • Romania 0.45
  • Slovakia 0.45

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Country19952024
Mexico0.013.2
United States0.020.64
China0.010.61
Romania0.010.45
Slovakia0.050.45

Price

Implied price

The price per tonne rose 21% since 1995

Current US dollars per tonne: value over the weight reported by BACI.

  • 2024: $3,492

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearUSD per tonne
1995$2,896
1996$558
1997$1,139
1998$1,248
1999$1,159
2000$1,112
2001$1,074
2002$908
2003$1,245
2004$1,300
2005$1,372
2006$1,184
2007$2,187
2008$2,684
2009$2,449
2010$2,102
2011$2,615
2012$2,879
2013$2,894
2014$2,497
2015$1,757
2016$2,022
2017$1,788
2018$1,704
2019$1,967
2020$2,385
2021$2,461
2022$3,086
2023$3,432
2024$3,492

What it includes

  • 8606 · Railway freight cars

Products in the same chapter

Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), which reconciles what exporters and importers report: countries that stopped reporting (Russia since 2022) appear with their partners’ data. FOB values in current US dollars; tonnes when BACI reports them. The price per tonne is the value of the rows with a weight divided by that weight. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Data up to 2024.

Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Belgium re-export goods from other countries: their figures include transit.

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