Shangliao Sun
Research expert covering India
Road transport in India - statistics & facts
Roads are a crucial mode of transport in India. As of year 2020, India had around 4.7 million kilometers of roads, making it the third largest road network in the world, after the U.S. and China. With both freight and passenger transport, road transport dominates the sectors in the country. In addition, with increasing number of vehicles, and rising passenger and freight movements, road transport will continue to play the central role in India’s transport sector.
National highways
National highways in India was close to 145 thousand kilometers in financial year 2023. Even though this figure makes up for around two percent of the country’s total road network, it is responsible for about 40 percent of the road traffic. This includes over 30 percent of total road accidents and almost 36 percent of road accidents related deaths in the country. Noticeably, national highways in India are at-grade roads, meaning, that access to them is not controlled. Conversely, the highest class of roads in India with controlled access were expressways, which amounted to around six thousand kilometers of roads across the country at the end of 2024.Automotive industry in India
India was one of the leading countries in the world relative to vehicle production. In financial year 2024, the total production volume of vehicles in the country was around 28.4 million units. During that same year, around 23.8 million units were sold across the country. The majority of vehicles manufactured and sold in India are two-wheelers, with Hero MotoCorp leading this segment. Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors dominate the passenger and commercial vehicle segments respectively.
