Cyprus ranks fourth among EU member states in terms of motorisation, with 661 passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants, and second in air passengers per capita, with 12.5 passengers per resident in 2024, according to Eurostat’s report “Key Figures on Transport in Europe.”

Eurostat published the report today, presenting key data on passenger and freight transport across the European Union, as well as the broader context relating to infrastructure, economic impact, energy use, and environmental effects.

According to the findings, Cyprus ranks fourth among member states with the highest levels of motorisation. Specifically, the indicator for road passenger vehicles stood at 661 passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants in 2024. The highest motorisation rates were recorded in Italy (701 per 1,000 inhabitants), Luxembourg (670), and Finland (666).

At the other end of the scale, the lowest rates were observed in Latvia (424), Romania (444), and Hungary (447 passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants). The EU average stood at 578 passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants.

According to the report, Cyprus is among the EU countries with the highest ratio of air passengers per capita in 2024.

As highlighted in the findings, southern EU countries with strong tourism activity recorded elevated ratios. Malta ranked first with 15.6 air passengers per capita, followed by Cyprus with 12.5. High ratios were also recorded in Luxembourg and Ireland, at 7.5 passengers per capita.

By contrast, eastern EU member states recorded the seven lowest ratios, all below two passengers per capita. The EU average stood at 2.3 air passengers per capita.

It is noted that the measurement is based on the number of passengers carried on flights to and from each country in relation to its permanent population.

In 2024, the majority of journeys carried out by vehicles registered in the European Union involved transport within the same member states. At EU level, this share exceeded two thirds. In Cyprus, almost all vehicle kilometres related to national transport (97.5%), while Lithuania recorded the lowest share (11%), reflecting limited domestic transport activity.

According to the report, in 2024, 6.3 million people in the European Union were employed in the transport sector, accounting for 3.1% of total employment. In terms of specialisation, Romania recorded the highest share of employment in transport services, at 6.2%. The least specialised countries were Cyprus (1.7%) and Germany (1.8%).

In absolute terms, the highest levels of employment in the transport sector in 2024 were recorded in France (854,000 people, representing 13.7% of the EU total), followed by Poland (12.2%), Spain (12.1%), Germany (11.5%), and Italy (9.9%).

The lowest levels were recorded in Malta and Cyprus, each accounting for 0.1% of total transport employment in the European Union.