The data on global car production displayed on the Worldometer’s counter is based on the latest statistics on worldwide car production issued by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA).
A formula based on the current data available, historical trends, and projections is used to estimate total cars produced in the current year.
Because the auto industry is an important sector of the global economy, numerous analysis of sales data and future outlook are issued by financial and economic institutes worldwide.
National trade organizations are surveyed on their annual data by OICA. Each summer, a survey on the last six months provides a first estimation of the year’s production figures .
By “car” we are referring to passenger cars, which are defined as motor vehicles with at least four wheels, used for the transport of passengers, and comprising no more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat. Cars (or automobiles) make up approximately 74% of the total motor vehicle annual production in the world. The remaining 26%, not included in this statistics, is made up by light commercial vehicles and heavy trucks (motor vehicles with et least four wheels, used for the carriage of goods), buses, coaches and minibuses (comprising more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat)
By “production” we are following the convention used by national trade organizations and referring to completely built vehicle (CBU) as opposed to assembly of completely knocked down (CKD) or semi-knocked down (SKD) sets when vehicle parts originate in another country.
How many cars are produced in the world every year?
In 2016, for the first time in history, over 70 million cars passenger cars were produced in a single year.
| year | cars produced in the world |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 72,105,435 |
| 2015 | 68,539,516 |
| 2014 | 67,782,035 |
| 2013 | 65,745,403 |
| 2012 | 63,081,024 |
| 2011 | 59,897,273 |
| 2010 | 58,264,852 |
| 2009 | 47,772,598 |
| 2008 | 52,726,117 |
| 2007 | 53,201,346 |
| 2006 | 49,918,578 |
| 2005 | 46,862,978 |
| 2004 | 44,554,268 |
| 2003 | 41,968,666 |
| 2002 | 41,358,394 |
| 2001 | 39,825,888 |
| 2000 | 41,215,653 |
| 1999 | 39,759,847 |
China.
1 out of 3 cars produced in the world comes from China.
China was the world’s third-largest car market in 2006, as car sales in China soared by nearly 40% to 4.1 million units. Soon thereafter, China took the lead and became the world’s first-largest car market, as low vehicle penetration, rising incomes, greater credit availability and falling car prices lift sales past those of Japan. Furthermore, vehicle penetration in China still stands at only about 150 vehicles per 1,000 people, compared with approximately 700 vehicles per 1,000 people in the mature markets of the G7.
More than 60% of the cars are produced in Asia and Oceania, whereas Europe produces about 26% .
Below, a summary of global car production by country in 2016:
| Rank | Country | Cars produced | % of total world production |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 24,420,744 | 33.9% |
| 2 | Japan | 7,873,886 | 10.9% |
| 3 | Germany | 5,746,808 | 8.0% |
| 4 | USA | 3,934,357 | 5.5% |
| 5 | South Korea | 3,859,991 | 5.4% |
| 6 | India | 3,677,605 | 5.1% |
| 7 | Spain | 2,354,117 | 3.3% |
| 8 | Mexico | 1,993,168 | 2.8% |
| 9 | Brazil | 1,778,464 | 2.5% |
| 10 | UK | 1,722,698 | 2.4% |
| 11 | France | 1,626,000 | 2.3% |
| 12 | Czech Rep. | 1,344,182 | 1.9% |
| 13 | Russia | 1,124,774 | 1.6% |
| 14 | Iran | 1,074,000 | 1.5% |
| 15 | Slovakia | 1,040,000 | 1.4% |
| 16 | Indonesia | 968,101 | 1.3% |
| 17 | Turkey | 950,888 | 1.3% |
| 18 | Thailand | 805,033 | 1.1% |
| 19 | Canada | 802,057 | 1.1% |
| 20 | Italy | 713,182 | 1.0% |
| 21 | Poland | 554,600 | 0.8% |
| 22 | Hungary | 472,000 | 0.7% |
| 23 | Malaysia | 469,720 | 0.7% |
| 24 | Romania | 358,861 | 0.5% |
| 25 | Belgium | 354,003 | 0.5% |
| 26 | South Africa | 335,539 | 0.5% |
| 27 | Taiwan | 251,096 | 0.3% |
| 28 | Argentina | 241,315 | 0.3% |
| 29 | Sweden | 205,374 | 0.3% |
| 30 | Australia | 149,000 | 0.2% |
| 31 | Slovenia | 133,702 | 0.2% |
| 32 | Portugal | 99,200 | 0.1% |
| 33 | Austria | 90,000 | 0.1% |
| 34 | Uzbekistan | 88,152 | 0.1% |
| 35 | Serbia | 79,360 | 0.1% |
| 36 | Finland | 55,280 | 0.1% |
| 37 | Netherlands | 42,150 | 0.1% |
| 38 | Egypt | 10,930 | 0.0% |
| 39 | Ukraine | 4,340 | 0.0% |
| Others | 781,708 | 1.1% | |
| Total | 72,105,435 | 100.0% |
Last Updated: March 2, 2018
The statistics on world car production include the following auto-makers: Anhui, Avtovaz , Beijing, BMW, Brilliance, Byd, Chana, Changhe, Chery, China National, Chrysler, Daewoo, Daihatsu, DaimlerChrysler, Dongfeng, Faw, Fiat, Ford, Fuji, Fujian, Gaz, Geely, General Motors, Great Wall, Guangzhou, Harbin, Hino, Honda, Hyundai, Ij-Avto, Isuzu, Kamaz, Kia, Mahindra&Mahindra, MAN, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Multicar, Nanjing, Navistar, Nissan, Nissan Diesel, Paccar, Porsche, Proton, PSA, Renault, Saic, Scania, Suzuki, Tata, Toyota, Uaz, Vaz, Volkswagen, and Volvo.
For detailed statistics on production by manufacturer, make, country and type visit the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers
It is estimated that over 1 billion passenger cars travel the streets and roads of the world today. The 1 billion-unit mark was reached in 2010 for the first time ever.
In the United States alone, 268,799,083 “highway” registered vehicles were counted in 2016, of which 192,774,508 passenger cars. (Bureau of Transportation Statistics U.S. Department of Transportation)