Global Public Transport: Urban Access Under SDG Indicator 11.2.1

SDG target 11.2 calls for access to safe, affordable and sustainable transport for all. Its indicator 11.2.1 measures the share of the population with convenient access to public transport [3]. Data collected in 2023 from 2,039 cities across 188 countries show that about 6 out of 10 urban residents globally have convenient access [1].

Access is much lower in poorer countries. In least developed countries only about 4 out of 10 urban residents have convenient access, compared with about 8 out of 10 in more developed regions [1]. The UN also flags gaps in impoverished urban areas within developed countries [1]. Public transport in many cities is dominated by low-capacity modes, and informal and semi-formal systems shape transport in most developing-country cities [1].

The UN's 2020 SDG report found that only half of the world's urban population had convenient access, based on 2019 data from 610 cities in 95 countries [2]. Data from 2022 covering 1,507 cities in 126 countries put the share at 51.6% [1]. In a matched sample of 412 cities across 127 countries, convenient access increased from 53.2% to 61.5% [1].

The city samples grew each round, so headline shares from different years are not strictly comparable.

Indicator 11.2.1 is compiled by UN-Habitat from national and local data. Convenient access means living within 500 metres walking distance of a low-capacity stop (buses, trams) or 1,000 metres of a high-capacity system (trains, subways, ferries) [2]. Figures here are from the UN DESA Goal 11 page [1] and the UN Statistics Division SDG Report 2020 [2]. The chart converts the UN's "out of 10" figures into approximate percentages (for example, 4 out of 10 = about 40%). Ridership and electric bus fleet data (UITP, IEA) are not yet covered.