Due to the nature of transport, a spatial reference is built into most legal acts dealing with transport statistics. In a few cases, these sources can be directly used for the derivation of regional transport indicators, while other indicators are collected on a voluntary basis. This is the case of the regional transport data collection in which both data types are used.
Three types of regional data can be distinguished depending on their source: two are based on data collections performed on the basis of legal acts (the Maritime and Aviation data) and one is a voluntary data collection (infrastructures, vehicles and road accidents).
Regional data collected on voluntary basis: The current regional data collection taking place on a voluntary basis comprises a set of transport indicators at NUTS 0, 1 and 2[1] levels for the road, railways, inland waterways (infrastructure), vehicle stocks and road accidents. The information collected is then disseminated in Eurostat's dissemination database (Eurobase) under “General and regional statistics/Regional statistics by NUTS classification/Regional transport statistics” theme and also mirrored under “Transport/Multimodal data/Regional transport statistics” theme. The annual data collection for infrastructure, vehicle stocks and road accidents was first launched at the beginning of 2002 covering both EU Member States and Candidate countries. Since 2007, it includes EFTA countries as well. Starting from 2023, data on stock of electric vehicles are also collected.
Regional data are collected directly from the countries using a questionnaire: data on transport infrastructure, vehicle stocks and road accidents. Currently, regional datasets are provided via the EDAMIS application. For the voluntary data collection via the EDAMIS portal, the definitions from the 5th edition of the Illustrated Glossary for Transport Statistics (jointly elaborated by Eurostat, ITF, UNECE) were proposed and countries should use them when reporting the data.
All the methodological issues reported by countries for the Regional data collection (e.g. breaks in time series, data availability and comparability, differences in definitions) are collected and presented in the document Country Specific Notes (See Annex).
Regional data based on legal acts: For the collection based on legal acts, regional data are actually derived from the information provided by the participating countries in the frame of the legal data collections at port and airport level. Maritime transport data collection is legally based – Directive 2009/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea (OJ L141 of 6 June 2009, page 29), which is the recast of the original Council Directive 95/64/EC of 8 December 1995. The air transport regional data have been calculated using data collected at the airport level in the context of the Council and Parliament Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 437/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 February 2003 on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of passengers, freight and mail by air).
Within the collection Maritime transport - data aggregated at standard regional levels (NUTS) there are two tables:
- Maritime transport of passengers by NUTS 2 regions (tran_r_mapa_nm);
- Maritime transport of freight by NUTS 2 regions (tran_r_mago_nm).
Within the collection Air transport - data aggregated at standard regional levels (NUTS) there are two tables:
- Air transport of passengers by NUTS 2 regions (tran_r_avpa_nm)
- Air transport of freight by NUTS 2 regions (tran_r_avgo_nm)
The tables present the evolution of the number of passengers carried and the volume of freight and mail loaded or unloaded to/from the NUTS regions (level 2, 1 and 0) since 1999. The data is presented at annual level. Before the legal act on air transport statistics was introduced (2003 with 3 years transitional period), air transport statistics were collected using the statistical questionnaire (voluntary basis). Some countries provided figures for passenger transport taking into account “passengers on board” and some “passenger carried”. Until 2007 reference year, the disseminated numbers of passengers aggregated at regional level are actually a mixture of passengers on board and passengers carried data.
Since 2008, the air transport regional data are being calculated only by using data collected at the airport level in the frame of the regulatory data collection on air transport. Only airports with more than 150 000 passenger units serviced annually are required to report this data, however some countries also provide detailed information for smaller airports.
To solve the problem of double counting, it is necessary to start at the airport level for each aggregate in order to identify the mirror declarations, i.e. the airport routes for which both airports report the volume, since these constitute the routes where the problem of double counting occurs. When calculating the total volume in such cases, only the departure declarations of the concerned airports have been taken into account. The problem of the double counting only appears for the calculation of the total passengers but not for the total arrivals (respectively total departures), which corresponds to the sum of the arrivals (respectively departures) at each domestic airport.
For the tables presenting maritime data at regional level the same aggregation method (exclusion of double counting) is applied taking into account main ports only. Only for these ports (handling more than one million tonnes of goods or recording more than 200 000 passenger movements annually) the detailed statistics allow such aggregation.
For some Member States (up to 1998 data) and for others that joint the EU later (up to 2002) transport flows through ports and airports had been collected, via questionnaire. Because of the difference in the methodologies applied, the data for air and maritime transport at regional level up to 2002 reference year are available in separate tables (listed below) and are no longer updated:
- Maritime transport of passengers by NUTS 2 regions (questionnaire) (tran_r_mapa_om).
- Maritime transport of freight by NUTS 2 regions (questionnaire) (tran_r_mago_om).
- Air transport of passengers by NUTS 2 regions (questionnaire) (tran_r_avpa_om).
- Air transport of freight by NUTS 2 regions (questionnaire) (tran_r_avgo_om).
[1] Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) and its amendments. More information on NUTS classification can be found under the following website.
21 May 2025
Definitions from the Illustrated Glossary for Transport Statistics - 5th edition and variables of interest for regional statistics
Motorways – road, specially designed and built for motor traffic, which does not serve properties bordering on it, and which:
- Is provided, except at special points or temporarily, with separate carriageways for traffic in two directions, separated from each other, either by a dividing strip not intended for traffic, or exceptionally by other means;
- Has no crossings at the same level with any road, railway or tramway track, or footpath;
- Is especially sign-posted as a motorway and is reserved for specific categories of road motor vehicles.
Entry and exit lanes of motorways are included irrespective of the location of the sign-posts. Urban motorways are also included.
Other roads – all roads other than motorways. Roads are line of communication (travelled way) open to public traffic, primarily for the use of road motor vehicles, using a stabilized base other than rails or air strips. Included are paved roads and other roads with a stabilized base, e.g. gravel roads. Roads also cover streets, bridges, tunnels, supporting structures, junctions, crossings and interchanges. Toll roads are also included. Excluded are dedicated cycle lanes.
Motorcycles – two-, three- or four-wheeled road motor vehicle not exceeding 400 kg (900 lb) of unladen weight. All such vehicles with a cylinder capacity of 50 cc or over are included, as are those under 50 cc which do not meet the definition of moped.
Passenger cars – road motor vehicle, intended for the carriage of passengers and designed to seat no more than nine persons (including the driver). Included are: passenger cars, vans designed and used primarily for transport of passengers, taxis, hire cars, ambulances, motor homes. Excluded are light goods road vehicles, as well as motor-coaches and buses, and mini-buses/mini-coaches. "Passenger car" includes micro cars (needing no permit to be driven), taxis and passenger hire cars, provided that they have fewer than ten seats.
Motor-coaches, buses and trolley-buses – passenger road motor vehicle designed to seat more than nine persons (including the driver). Included are mini-buses and mini-coaches designed to seat more than 9 persons (including the driver). This category hence includes:
Motor coaches – passenger road motor vehicle designed to seat 24 or more persons (including the driver) and constructed exclusively for the carriage of seated passengers.
Buses – passenger road motor vehicle designed to carry more than 24 persons (including the driver), and with provision to carry seated as well as standing passengers. The vehicles may be constructed with areas for standing passengers, to allow frequent passenger movement, or designed to allow the carriage of standing passengers in the gangway.
Mini-buses / mini-coaches – passenger road motor vehicle designed to carry 10–23 seated or standing persons (including the driver). The vehicles may be constructed exclusively to carry seated passengers or to carry both seated and standing passengers.
Trolleybuses – passenger road vehicle designed to seat more than nine persons (including the driver), which is connected to electric conductors and which is not rail-borne. This term covers vehicles which may be used either as trolleybuses or as buses, if they have a motor independent of the main electric power supply.
Lorries – rigid road motor vehicle designed, exclusively or primarily, to carry goods.
Road tractors – road motor vehicle designed, exclusively or primarily, to haul other road vehicles which are not power-driven (mainly semi-trailers). Agricultural tractors are excluded.
Trailers and semi-trailers – goods road vehicle designed to be hauled by a road motor vehicle. In case of semi-trailer, the goods road vehicle has no front axle designed in such way that part of the vehicle and a substantial part of its loaded weight rests on a road tractor. This category excludes agricultural trailers and caravans.
Special purpose road motor vehicles – road motor vehicle designed for purposes other than the carriage of passengers or goods. This category includes: fire brigade vehicles, mobile cranes, self-propelled rollers, bulldozers with metallic wheels or track, vehicles for recording film, radio and TV broadcasting, mobile library vehicles, towing vehicles for vehicles in need of repair, other special purpose road motor vehicles.
Light goods road vehicles (Goods vehicles <= 3.5 tonnes) - Goods road vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of not more than 3 500 kg, designed, exclusively or primarily, to carry goods. Includes category N1 of the UN Consolidated Resolution on the Construction of Vehicles (R.E.3). This category includes: vans designed for and used primarily for transport of goods, pick-ups, small lorries, and two- or three-wheeled vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of not more than 3 500 kg.
Electric vehicles - refer to 'pure' electric vehicles (battery-electric vehicles - BEVs). Trolley buses, as electric vehicles per se, are included. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) as well as hydrogen-powered vehicles are excluded.
Persons killed – any person killed immediately or dying within 30 days as a result of an injury accident, excluding suicides. A killed person is excluded if the competent authority declares the cause of death to be suicide, i.e. a deliberate act to injure oneself resulting in death. For countries that do not apply the threshold of 30 days, conversion coefficients are estimated so that comparisons on the basis of the 30 day-definition can be made.
Person injured – any person who as result of an injury accident was not killed immediately or not dying within 30 days, but sustained an injury, normally needing medical treatment, excluding attempted suicides. Persons with lesser wounds, such as minor cuts and bruises are not normally recorded as injured. An injured person is excluded if the competent authority declares the cause of the injury to be attempted suicide by that person, i.e. a deliberate act to injure oneself resulting in injury, but not in death.
Total railway lines – line of communication made up by rail exclusively for the use of railway vehicles. This does not include stretches of road or water even if rolling stock is conveyed over such routes, e.g. by wagon carrying trailers or ferries. Lines solely used for tourism are excluded as are railways constructed solely to serve mines, forests or other industrial or agricultural undertakings and which are not open to public traffic.
Railway lines with double or more tracks – part of the railway lines with more than one pair of rails over which rail borne vehicles can run.
Electrified railway lines – line with one or more electrified running tracks. The following types of electric current are in use:
AC: 25 000 Volts/50 Hz, 15 000 Volts/ 16 2/3 Hz.
DC: 3 000 Volts, 1 500 Volts, 750 Volts, 660 Volts, 630 Volts.
Sections of lines adjacent to stations that are electrified only to permit shunting and not electrified as far as the next stations are to be counted as non-electrified lines.
Navigable inland waterways – a stretch of water, not part of the sea, which by natural or man-made features is suitable for navigation, primarily by inland waterway vessels. This term covers navigable rivers, lakes, canals and estuaries. The length of rivers and canals is measured in mid-channel. The length of lakes and lagoons is measured along the shortest navigable route between the most distant points to and from which transport operations are performed. A waterway forming a common frontier between two countries is reported by both.
Navigable rivers and lakes – natural waterway and expanse of water open for navigation, irrespective of whether it has been improved for that purpose. Lagoons (brackish water area separated from the sea by a coastal bank) are included.
Navigable canal – waterway built primarily for navigation.
See the general metadata devoted to transport as well as the Illustrated Glossary for Transport Statistics - 5th edition.
Transport infrastructure at regional level (road, rail and inland waterways network).
Total number of vehicles by vehicle category registered at regional level.
Victims of road traffic accidents represented at regional level.
Weight of goods (and mail - in case of air transport) and number of passengers counted in the ports and airports respectively, at regional level.
Member States of the European Union; EFTA countries (IS, CH, LI, NO); some European Union Candidate and Potential candidate countries (BA, MK, ME, AL, RS, TR, XK).
Data are collected on a yearly base.
See 11– Quality management.
The transport infrastructure data on the length of motorways and other roads, the length of the railway network (by type of railway lines) and the length of the waterways network (by type of waterways) is expressed in kilometres. For motorways and total railway lines, data are also available as kilometres per 1000km2 of national territory.
The stock of vehicles (by type of vehicle) is expressed in absolute numbers and, for certain vehicle categories, in units per 1000 inhabitants.
The road accident data (persons killed and persons injured) are expressed in absolute numbers, and in absolute numbers per million inhabitants.
The air and maritime transport data are expressed in 1000 for passengers and in thousands of tonnes for the freight.
Data collected are reported as of 31st December.
Based on the regional data on transport infrastructure network, stock of the vehicles and road accidents, the following indicators are calculated with the help of population and area data:
- Density of motorways network;
- Density of railway network;
- Number of people killed in car accidents per million inhabitants;
- Number of passenger cars per 1000 inhabitants (for a given year, this indicator is calculated on the basis of the stock of vehicles as of 31st December and the population figures as of 1st January of the following year).
Data are collected and/or compiled by the competent national authorities, which could be the National Statistical Office, the Civil Aviation Authorities or directly by airports (air transport), the Ministry of Transport (inland waterways, railway and road networks, victims), and the National Maritime Administration or the port authorities (maritime transport).
The regional transport Eurobase dissemination tables are updated yearly, once the voluntary data collection is concluded.
The regional transport Eurobase dissemination tables are updated yearly, when the voluntary data collection is completed.
At regional level and when comparing data overtime, data for some regions might not be comparable due to the changes in the NUTS classification.
The comparability over time of the regional transport data derived from the maritime and air transport data collection and of the data collected in the frame of the regional questionnaire is checked using reports allowing detecting abnormal evolutions. In such cases, countries are contacted either to correct the data provided if necessary or to provide the methodological information explaining the evolution observed.
Major events affecting comparability over time are reported in the Country Specific Notes (see Annexes).
