In Western Europe in the early twentieth century, the rate of car ownership increased rapidly, while ownership across the south and east was significantly lower. Between the First and Second World Wars, the number of cars in the eight largest Western European economies rose from just nine per 1,000 inhabitants in 1914 to 217 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1939. In six select countries across the south and east of Europe, these figures rose from just one to 17. There was a slight decrease in the number of cars over the 1940s due to the impact of the Second World War.
Number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants in Europe's developed and developing countries between 1914 and 1949
The source refers to the eight developed ("core") countries as the United Kingdom, France, (West) Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The source refers to the six developing ("peripheral") countries as Italy, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Yugoslavia.
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Cambridge University Press. (December 31, 2006). Number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants in Europe's developed and developing countries between 1914 and 1949 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved March 11, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1073212/europe-cars-per-thousand-people-by-region-historical/
Cambridge University Press. "Number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants in Europe's developed and developing countries between 1914 and 1949." Chart. December 31, 2006. Statista. Accessed March 11, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1073212/europe-cars-per-thousand-people-by-region-historical/
Cambridge University Press. (2006). Number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants in Europe's developed and developing countries between 1914 and 1949. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: March 11, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1073212/europe-cars-per-thousand-people-by-region-historical/
Cambridge University Press. "Number of Cars per 1,000 Inhabitants in Europe's Developed and Developing Countries between 1914 and 1949." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Dec 2006, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1073212/europe-cars-per-thousand-people-by-region-historical/
Cambridge University Press, Number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants in Europe's developed and developing countries between 1914 and 1949 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1073212/europe-cars-per-thousand-people-by-region-historical/ (last visited March 11, 2025)
Number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants in Europe's developed and developing countries between 1914 and 1949 [Graph], Cambridge University Press, December 31, 2006. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1073212/europe-cars-per-thousand-people-by-region-historical/
