Car ownership rates around the world can also be an indicator of a country’s economic development and the high purchasing power of its citizens. This means that car ownership rates in each country depend on the income level of citizens, as owning and maintaining a car requires a lot.
Among the different countries studied, car ownership was significantly lower in Africa than in the rest of the world.
In developed countries such as Canada and New Zealand, the car ownership rate ranges between 30-50 cars per 100 people. In China there are 15 cars per 100 people.
The World Bank estimates that the average global car ownership rate is 190 passenger cars per 1,000 people.
However, there are decreasing numbers in the number of cars in more developed countries due to the introduction and interest of citizens in shared ownership or rental services.
According to data published by the International Organization of Automobile Manufacturers (OikaLibya recorded the highest car ownership rate in Africa, at 490 vehicles per 1,000 people. It was followed by Algeria and then Morocco.
The table below ranks the top six countries in Africa based on the number of registered vehicles in use per 1,000 people based on OICA data.
| Rank | countries | Cars/1000 people |
|---|---|---|
1 | Libya | 490 |
2 | South Africa | 176 |
3 | Algeria | 144 |
4 | Morocco | 112 |
5 | Egypt | 64 |
6 | Nigeria | 56 |
According to the data, New Zealand leads the way globally with the highest rate of vehicle ownership, with 869 vehicles per 1,000 people.
The United States comes in second place with 980 cars per 1,000 people. In Europe, Poland ranks third with a rate of 761 cars per 1,000 people, followed by Japan with 612 cars.
Libya leads Africa with 490 vehicles per 1,000 people. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates and Argentina come in second place with 343 and 311 vehicles per 1,000 people, respectively.
