Global Car Ownership: ~18% of People (2019)

As of 2019, ~1.4 billion passenger cars existed worldwide. With a global population of ~7.7 billion, that's ~18% (roughly 1 car per 5.5 people).

Extreme Disparities

• United States: ~85% (900+ vehicles/1,000 people)
• New Zealand, Canada, EU core: 50–75%
• China: ~15% (but largest total fleet ~300M)
• India: ~5%
• Sub-Saharan Africa (avg): <5%

Ownership correlates with income, urbanization, fuel prices, public transit quality, and cultural norms. Rapid growth in developing Asia/Latin America; saturation/decline in some wealthy cities (congestion pricing, shared mobility).