World's Busiest Metro Systems (Annual Ridership)
The world's 25 busiest metro systems ranked by annual ridership. Shanghai Metro leads with 3.77 billion passenger trips in 2024, followed by Beijing Subway and Guangzhou Metro, with China operating 8 of the top 12 systems.
Data
| # | Metro System | City | Country | Annual Ridership (millions) | Data Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shanghai Metro | Shanghai | China | 3,773.8 | 2024 |
| 2 | Beijing Subway | Beijing | China | 3,621.3 | 2024 |
| 3 | Guangzhou Metro | Guangzhou | China | 3,255.0 | 2024 |
| 4 | Shenzhen Metro | Shenzhen | China | 3,101.9 | 2024 |
| 5 | Seoul Metropolitan Subway | Seoul | South Korea | 2,710.4 | 2024 |
| 6 | Delhi Metro | Delhi | India | 2,358.0 | 2025 |
| 7 | New York City Subway | New York City | United States | 2,314.4 | 2025 |
| 8 | Moscow Metro | Moscow | Russia | 2,288.5 | 2023 |
| 9 | Chengdu Metro | Chengdu | China | 2,209.0 | 2024 |
| 10 | Mass Transit Railway | Hong Kong | China | 1,770.0 | 2024 |
| 11 | Paris Metro | Paris | France | 1,523.0 | 2025 |
| 12 | Hangzhou Metro | Hangzhou | China | 1,469.8 | 2024 |
| 13 | Wuhan Metro | Wuhan | China | 1,467.0 | 2024 |
| 14 | Cairo Metro | Cairo | Egypt | 1,460.0 | 2023 |
| 15 | Chongqing Rail Transit | Chongqing | China | 1,416.5 | 2024 |
| 16 | Xi'an Metro | Xi'an | China | 1,406.4 | 2024 |
| 17 | São Paulo Metro | São Paulo | Brazil | 1,265.0 | 2025 |
| 18 | Mass Rapid Transit | Singapore | Singapore | 1,240.0 | 2024 |
| 19 | London Underground | London | United Kingdom | 1,216.0 | 2024 |
| 20 | Mexico City Metro | Mexico City | Mexico | 1,172.0 | 2024 |
| 21 | Nanjing Metro | Nanjing | China | 1,093.5 | 2024 |
| 22 | Changsha Metro | Changsha | China | 1,031.6 | 2024 |
| 23 | Toei Subway | Tokyo | Japan | 963.9 | 2024 |
| 24 | Osaka Metro | Osaka | Japan | 935.0 | 2024 |
| 25 | Tehran Metro | Tehran | Iran | 820.0 | 2018 |
Note: The World's Busiest Underground Railways
China Runs the Table
China operates 8 of the top 13 metro systems in the world by annual ridership. Shanghai Metro leads everyone with 3,773.8 million trips in 2024, followed by Beijing Subway at 3,621.3 million and Guangzhou Metro at 3,255.0 million. Shenzhen (3,101.9 million), Chengdu (2,209.0 million), Hong Kong's MTR (1,770.0 million), Hangzhou (1,469.8 million), and Wuhan (1,467.0 million) round out the Chinese contingent in the top 13.
The Rest of the Top 10
- Seoul Metropolitan Subway is the busiest system outside China at 2,710.4 million trips.
- Delhi Metro carries 2,358.0 million and is India's flagship rapid transit network.
- New York City Subway, the largest system by number of stations, logs 2,314.4 million trips.
- Moscow Metro follows with 2,288.5 million, famous for its ornate stations.
- Shanghai and Beijing together move more than 7.3 billion passengers a year, about ten times the population of Europe.
Beyond the Top 10
Paris Metro (1,523.0 million) is Europe's second-busiest system, while London Underground, the world's oldest metro, carries 1,216.0 million passengers. Cairo Metro (1,460.0 million) is Africa's busiest, and Sao Paulo Metro (1,265.0 million) leads Latin America ahead of Mexico City (1,172.0 million). Tokyo's Toei Subway (963.9 million) and Osaka Metro (935.0 million) represent Japan, while Tehran Metro (820.0 million) closes the top 25 with data from 2018.
Why Ridership Is So High
Chinese megacities combine enormous populations with dense urban form and heavy investment: Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen each count more than 20 million people in their metropolitan areas. Fares are low, networks keep expanding, and car ownership is expensive or restricted in many centers, so the metro becomes the default way to move. Annual ridership there often exceeds the passenger totals of the world's busiest airports.
Comparing Systems Is Tricky
Ridership figures mix entry counts across networks of very different size and age. Systems that count transfers differently, or that integrate buses and commuter rail into the same ticket, can look busier than a strict metro definition would suggest. Data years also differ, from 2018 for Tehran to 2025 for Delhi, New York, Paris, and Sao Paulo, so the ranking snapshots different moments in time.
Fun Facts
- Shanghai Metro averages more than 10 million passenger trips a day and has burst past 13 million on record days.
- Beijing and Shanghai together carried about 7.4 billion passengers in 2024.
- London Underground opened in 1863, making it the world's oldest metro.
- New York City Subway runs nearly around the clock, a rarity among world metros.
- Moscow Metro's stations are so ornate that they are often called underground palaces.
- Delhi Metro reached the global top 10 within about two decades of opening in 2002.
- Hong Kong's MTR is one of the few major metros in the world that reliably turns a profit.
- Tehran's ridership figure dates to 2018, so its true current ranking is uncertain.
