Road network

Britain's road network by road category (miles) 2000-2023

wdt_ID	Year	Motorways	A roads	All major roads	B roads	C roads	U roads	All minor roads	All roads
1	2000	2,154	28,960	31,114	18,765	52,583	140,019	211,367	242,482
2	2001	2,160	28,989	31,149	18,763	52,656	140,368	211,787	242,937
3	2002	2,161	29,002	31,163	18,761	52,728	140,717	212,206	243,368
4	2003	2,161	28,989	31,150	18,758	52,802	141,081	212,641	243,791
5	2004	2,189	28,998	31,188	18,752	52,333	138,617	209,702	240,889
6	2005	2,186	29,035	31,221	18,758	52,480	138,679	209,918	241,139
7	2006	2,209	29,040	31,249	18,652	52,487	142,670	213,809	245,058
8	2007	2,212	29,045	31,256	18,806	52,458	142,847	214,110	245,367
9	2008	2,211	29,012	31,224	18,741	52,552	142,594	213,887	245,110
10	2009	2,212	29,061	31,273	18,729	52,700	142,384	213,813	245,086
11	2010	2,211	29,022	31,233	18,760	52,709	142,275	213,745	244,978
12	2011	2,218	29,039	31,257	18,770	52,712	142,265	213,747	245,004
13	2012	2,248	29,044	31,291	18,774	52,756	142,551	214,082	245,373
14	2013	2,262	29,049	31,311	18,776	0	0	214,417	245,728
15	2014	2,265	29,071	31,336	18,770	0	0	214,491	245,827
16	2015	2,270	29,065	31,335	18,819	52,420	143,305	214,543	245,879
17	2016	2,268	29,090	31,357	18,825	0	0	215,152	246,510
18	2017	2,292	29,140	31,432	18,842	0	0	215,277	246,709
19	2018	2,313	29,440	31,754	18,836	53,392	142,715	214,943	246,697
20	2019	2,325	29,484	31,809	18,842	0	0	215,246	247,055
21	2020	2,321	29,522	31,843	18,852	0	0	215,686	247,529
22	2021	2,321	29,538	31,859	18,852	0	0	215,968	247,827
23	2022	2,327	29,572	31,898	18,834	51,605	142,785	213,224	245,123
24	2023	2,330	29,584	31,914	18,836	0	0	213,810	245,724

Source: DfT.
0 indicates no data available.

Britain's road network growth (miles)

Source: DfT.

Britain's total road traffic (billion vehicle miles)

Source: DfT.

European motorway lengths (km)

Year	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Belgium	1,763.00	1,763.00	1,763.00	1,763.00	1,763.00	1,763.00	1,763.00	1,763.00	1,763	1,763	1,763.00	1,763.00
Bulgaria	458.00	541.00	605.00	610.00	734.00	734.00	734.00	757.00	790	806	806.00	825.00
Czechia	745.00	751.00	776.00	776.00	776.00	1,222.66	1,240.00	1,252.00	1,276	1,298	1,346.00	1,363.00
Denmark	1,143.00	1,195.00	1,216.00	1,232.00	1,237.00	1,255.00	1,308.00	1,329.00	1,346	1,354	1,355.00	1,355.00
Germany	12,845.00	12,879.00	12,917.00	12,949.00	12,993.00	12,996.00	13,009.00	13,141.00	13,183	13,192	13,155.00	13,172.00
Estonia	115.00	124.00	140.00	141.00	147.00	145.00	154.00	154.00	161	199	199.00	225.00
Ireland	900.00	900.00	897.00	897.00	916.00	916.00	916.00	916.00	995	995	995.00	995.00
Greece	1,558.00	1,558.00	1,558.00	1,558.00	1,558.00	1,589.00	1,843.00	2,133.00	2,133	2,133	2,133.00	2,205.00
Spain	14,531.00	14,701.00	14,981.00	15,049.00	15,336.00	15,444.00	15,523.00	15,583.00	15,722	15,752	15,825.00	15,856.00
France	11,413.00	11,413.00	11,552.00	11,560.14	11,598.82	11,612.45	11,618.10	11,670.53	11,676	11,660	11,664.36	11,751.27
Croatia	1,254.00	1,254.00	1,289.00	1,290.00	1,310.00	1,310.00	1,310.00	1,310.00	1,310	1,310	1,316.00	1,341.00
Italy	6,668.00	6,726.00	6,751.00	6,844.00	6,943.00	6,943.00	6,943.00	6,966.00	6,977	6,978	7,556.00	7,558.00
Cyprus	257.00	257.00	257.00	257.00	257.00	257.00	257.00	257.00	257	257	257.00	271.00
Latvia	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0	0	0.00	0.00
Lithuania	309.00	309.00	309.00	309.00	309.00	314.00	324.00	324.00	403	400	400.00	400.00
Luxembourg	152.00	152.00	152.00	152.00	161.00	161.00	165.00	165.00	165	165	163.00	163.00
Hungary	1,515.50	1,515.10	1,562.30	1,577.20	1,621.40	1,628.00	1,636.20	1,669.40	1,723	1,774	1,859.50	1,867.60
Malta	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0	0	0.00	0.00
Netherlands	2,651.00	2,658.00	2,666.00	2,678.00	2,730.00	2,756.00	2,758.00	2,756.00	2,790	2,789	2,790.00	2,793.00
Austria	1,719.00	1,719.00	1,719.00	1,719.00	1,719.00	1,719.00	1,719.00	1,743.00	1,743	1,749	1,749.00	1,749.00
Poland	1,070.00	1,365.00	1,482.00	1,556.00	1,559.00	1,637.00	1,637.00	1,637.00	1,676	1,712	1,761.00	1,802.00
Portugal	2,737.00	2,988.00	3,035.00	3,065.00	3,065.00	3,065.00	3,065.00	3,065.00	3,065	3,065	3,065.00	3,115.00
Romania	350.00	550.00	644.00	683.00	747.00	747.00	763.00	823.00	866	920	931.00	949.00
Slovenia	606.64	606.69	607.03	607.03	610.37	610.37	617.62	623.31	623	616	616.11	616.02
Slovakia	419.20	419.20	419.80	419.70	463.10	463.20	482.30	482.30	495	818	849.00	861.20
Finland	790.00	780.00	810.00	881.00	881.00	890.00	893.00	926.00	926	933	944.00	948.00
Sweden	1,957.00	2,004.00	2,044.00	2,088.00	2,119.00	2,118.00	2,132.00	2,132.00	2,133	2,179	2,185.00	2,193.00
Switzerland	1,415.00	1,419.00	1,419.00	1,429.00	1,440.00	1,447.00	1,458.00	1,462.00	1,462	1,544	1,544.00	1,544.00
United Kingdom	3,685.70	3,732.52	3,756.02	3,759.62	3,768.43	3,764.33	3,803.10	3,837.90	3,837	3,837	3,851.00	3,859.00

Source: Eurostat.

European motorway density (km per 1,000 km²) 2022 compared to 2013

Source: Eurostat.

European population / motorway length (people per km) 2022 compared to 2013

Source: Eurostat.

GDP per motorway km (million Euros) 2022 compared to 2013

Source: Eurostat.

Number of registered vehicles per motorway km 2013-2022

Source: Eurostat.

The length of the GB road network has remained constant for more than two decades, increasing by just 1.3% since 2000. Road traffic (vehicle miles) in GB is on an upward trajectory but still 7.2% below pre-Covid levels.

Britain's road network by road category (miles) 2000-2023

Britain's road network growth (miles)

Britain's total road traffic (billion vehicle miles)

European motorway lengths (km)

European motorway density (km per 1,000 km2) 2022 compared to 2013

European population / motorway length (people per km) 2022 compared to 2013

GDP per motorway km (million Euros) 2022 compared to 2013

Number of registered vehicles per motorway km 2013-2022

European motorway density (km per 1,000 km²) 2022 compared to 2013