Busiest Metro Systems Ridership (Annual)
Compare the 10 busiest metro systems by annual rides, from Shanghai at 3.77B to New York at 2.04B. Yearly ridership totals with year notes and sources listed.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Metro Highest annual ridership in the world. | 3,773,800,000 rides | Shanghai, China, 2024 | Wikipedia metro systems: Shanghai 3,773.8M (2024) |
| Beijing Subway Largest by track length at 909 km. | 3,621,300,000 rides | Beijing, China, 2024 | Wikipedia metro systems: Beijing 3,621.3M (2024) |
| Tokyo Metro + Toei Combined city total. Parts noted. | 3,460,700,000 rides | Tokyo, Japan, combined 2024 | Wikipedia: Tokyo Metro 2,496.8M plus Toei 963.9M (2024) |
| Guangzhou Metro Third in China by rides. | 3,255,000,000 rides | Guangzhou, China, 2024 | Wikipedia metro systems: Guangzhou 3,255.0M (2024) |
| Shenzhen Metro Young system, steep growth. | 3,101,900,000 rides | Shenzhen, China, 2024 | Wikipedia metro systems: Shenzhen 3,101.9M (2024) |
| Seoul Metropolitan Subway Quiz tables list 2,403 by narrower scope. | 2,710,400,000 rides | Seoul, South Korea, 2024 | Wikipedia metro systems: Seoul 2,710.4M (2024) |
| Delhi Metro Quiz tables list 2,032 by older year. | 2,358,000,000 rides | Delhi, India, 2025 | Wikipedia metro systems: Delhi 2,358M (2025) |
| Moscow Metro Busiest in Europe. | 2,288,500,000 rides | Moscow, Russia, 2023 | Wikipedia metro systems: Moscow 2,288.5M (2023) |
| Chengdu Metro Western China leader. | 2,209,000,000 rides | Chengdu, China, recent year | Busiest metro quiz tables: Chengdu 2,209M |
| New York City Subway Busiest in North America. | 2,040,000,000 rides | New York, USA, recent year | Busiest metro quiz tables: New York 2,040M |
About this converter
Shanghai moves 3.77 billion rides in 2024, about 150 million clear of Beijing at 3.62. Tokyo Metro plus Toei combine to 3.46. Guangzhou at 3.26 and Shenzhen at 3.10 keep China on top. Seoul at 2.71, Delhi at 2.36 in 2025 figures, Moscow at 2.29 in 2023, Chengdu at 2.21 and New York at 2.04 close the table. Totals count station entries per year. Tokyo parts are listed separately in sources and summed here with that noted. Years differ by source, so each row pins its year.
How to use it
Pick two metros and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. Try Shanghai against New York to see the near double gap. The bars below scale to Shanghai so New York looks short. Switch the unit to billions for short figures. Ratios are exact divisions of the annual ride totals.
Years mix by source. Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Seoul and Tokyo use 2024. Delhi uses 2025. Moscow uses 2023. Chengdu and New York use recent quiz tables keyed to 2024 scope. Seoul quiz scope at 2,403 differs from Wikipedia 2,710 by line coverage, so Wikipedia is primary with the quiz noted. Delhi quiz 2,032 differs from 2,358 the same way.
FAQ
What is the busiest metro?
Shanghai at 3.77B rides in 2024. Beijing follows at 3.62B.
How busy is Tokyo?
3.46B combined Metro plus Toei in 2024. Metro alone is 2.50B.
Why do Seoul totals differ?
Line scope. Wikipedia 2.71B covers the metropolitan subway. Narrower tables list 2.40B.
What about New York?
2.04B in recent tables. Busiest in North America, tenth here.
Sources
- Wikipedia: List of metro systems (Shanghai 3,773.8; Beijing 3,621.3; Guangzhou 3,255.0; Shenzhen 3,101.9; Seoul 2,710.4; Tokyo Metro 2,496.8; Toei 963.9; Delhi 2,358 2025; Moscow 2,288.5 2023M rides)
- Busiest metro quiz tables 2024 scope (Chengdu 2,209; New York 2,040; Seoul 2,403 narrow scope; Delhi 2,032 older year)
- Adda247 largest metro networks 2024 (Shanghai 3.7B second busiest; Beijing 3.8B first by their cut)
Last verified: 2026-10-09 · 10 entries
More arcade scores converters
100m Sprint Record Comparison (Seconds)
Compare 10 fastest legal 100 meter sprint times in seconds, from Bolt at 9.58 to Greene at 9.79. World Athletics marks in a linked tool here. right now.
100m World Record Progression Comparison (Men)
Compare 15 mens 100m world records, from Lippincott 10.6 to Bolt 9.58. World Athletics progression data in a linked tool. See bars. Verified now. Verified.
12 Monkeys Episode Count Comparison (Seasons)
How many 12 Monkeys episodes per season? Compare all 4 season counts plus the 47 total, from 10 in season 3 to 13 in early years, using Syfy guides. Data.
← Busiest Highway Segments Traffic (Vehicles/Day) · Busiest Pilgrimages Visits Comparison (Annual Millions) →