Over 300,000 bicycles are made every day, which is about 4 every second worldwide. That s a huge number of bikes and cyclists, with more people learning about this healthy activity all the time.
Whether you ride for fun or commute, you are part of a vast global network of bicyclists. How many bicycles are in the world?
There are estimated over 1 billion bicycles in the world today, which is approximately 1 for every 8 people. Bikes don’t have a census, and they can get lost, broken, parted out, or damaged, which affects the number. However, around 100 million bikes are produced every year and roughly 47,670 are sold daily.
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Table of Contents
How Many Bicycles Are There In The World
The exact number of bicycles in the world today is not known. Most estimates place the number at roughly 1,000,000,000 bikes, or approximately 1 for every 8 people.
That number may seem large, but there are almost 1,500,000,000 cars that are more widely used.
Bicycle Usage Statistics By Country
To help give you a better idea of how many people are cycling worldwide, I compiled a chart.
This is how many people there are and how many bicycles versus cars (in use) for the major countries where bike riding is a significant part of commuting.
You can also see what percentage of people in each country commute by bike.
| Country | Population | Number Of Bikes | People Driving Cars | Percentage of Weekly Bike Commuters |
| Brazil | 212,559,417 | 40,000,000 | 46,200,000 | 29% |
| China | 1,439,323,776 | 450,000,000 | 397,530,000 | 25% |
| France | 65,273,511 | 20,000,000 | 32,000,000 | 18% |
| Germany | 83,783,942 | 62,000,000 | 46,000,000 | 36% |
| India | 1,380,004,385 | 30,800,000 | 295,800,000 | 36% |
| Indonesia | 273,523,615 | 22,300,000 | 15,900,000 | No Information Available |
| Italy | 60,461,826 | 23,000,000 | 40,000,000 | 26% |
| Japan | 72, 540,000 | 72, 540,000 | 82,080,000 | Up to 90% |
| Netherlands | 17,134,872 | 16,500,000 | 8,700,000 | 58% |
| UK | 67,886,011 | 20,000,000 | 32,697,408 | 15% |
| USA | 331,002,651 | 100,000,000 | 290,800,000 | 13% |
How Many Bicycles Are In The World 2019
There were already roughly 1,000,000,000 bikes in the world in 2019. From 2015 to 2019, the number of bikes sold each year was 15,000,000-20,000,000 annually.
Most of these go to China and the USA where the number goes down annually as some are damaged and thrown out, recycled, or lost.
Meanwhile, more people are buying bikes than ever, but the exact amount isn’t something anyone is keeping track of.
This was the last year before the global pandemic significantly impacted the bicycle buying and shipping industries.
Approximately How Many Bicycles Are In The World 2020
In 2020 people bought $4,100,000,000 worth of bicycles and the demand went up by 62 percent.
While increased demand doesn’t change how many bikes exist, it does change how many are getting sold and resold.
In 2020 most of the available bikes, new and used sold to customers, which is very unusual.
The change in behavior and the rapid spike in bicycle desirability are directly tied to the pandemic. In the US alone, people bought $7,900,000 worth of new bikes.
Going out for a walk or bicycle ride at a safe social distance was the only exercise option for many people in lockdown, and cycling is often cheaper than investing in home gyms. Plus, riding gets you outside.
Approximately How Many Bicycles Are In The World 2021
Once the number of bikes reached over a billion, it seems the bike industry simply stopped counting.
However, we can make an educated guess that the number went up by at least 50,000,000-100,000,000.
At that rate, the number of bikes in the world will double in ten years.
How Many Bicycles Are In The US
There are currently between 100,000,000 and 200,000,000 bicycles in the US.
The reason it’s so hard to get an exact count is that we don’t know how many of the bikes sold in previous years are still functional or in use: Rust, accidents, and people who don’t perform any maintenance ruin bikes regularly.
Figuring out how many bicycles went to the landfill is nearly impossible.
However, according to Statista, the number of active participants in cycling has increased by about 10,000,000 people in the last five years alone.
Moreover, with the pandemic becoming the ‘new normal,’ sellers and statisticians predict that bike sales will stay incredibly high for the foreseeable future as people’s lifestyles have made permanent changes.
Public transportation is less desirable, and more people want to get outdoors without being too social.
How Many Types Of Bicycles Are There In The World
There are 11 types of bicycles in the world. I am not counting the electric and motorized varieties or hybrids like the cyclocross.
The ebikes and motorized bikes use electricity or fuel rather than human energy to power them.
Meanwhile, hybrid bikes are essentially made up of parts from other bikes and are not significantly unique even though they are more versatile.
Below is a list of bicycle types and their uses:
- Road Bike – These are the most popular bikes used for racing in events like the Tour De France.
- Mountain Bike or MTB – This bike has several variations, but they are all made for going up or down mountains in some capacity.
- BMX – BMXs are small bikes that are the cycling equivalent of motocross with no engine, meant for dirt track racing and stunts.
- Cruisers – A Cruiser is a single-speed bike made for leisure rides.
- Fixed Gear – These bikes are similar in shape to road bikes, but they lack gears.
- Folding Bike – Ingenious folding bikes are compact, lightweight bikes that are made to fold up after the rider is done commuting.
- Utility Bike – These useful have baskets and panniers made for carrying cargo like newspapers, food for delivery, or personal groceries.
- Touring Bike – Touring bicycles are sometimes also hybrids, but most importantly, these simple bikes are meant to go long distances while carrying gear.
- Recumbent Bikes – Recumbent bikes allow you to ride in a relaxed, laying-back position and reduce the strain on your knees and ankles.
How Many Bicycles Are Sold Each Year In The World
Roughly 100,000,000 bikes are produced every year. Currently, most or all bicycles that reach the market sell quickly. This statistic only counts new cycles, not custom jobs, old stock, or resold used bikes.
How Many Bike Company In The World
There are too many small bike companies to count. A safe, conservative estimate would be one to two thousand or more.
However, roughly 143 active bicycle companies are selling in the USA this year.
How Many Road Bicycle In The World
There is no company, organization, or individual anywhere I can find who tracks how many road bikes exist in the world.
The few statistics count only major manufacturers, and they lump all the styles produced into a single overall category.
Helpful Tips To Know About How Many Bicycles There Are In The World
Cycling for fun, leisure, and commuting is here to stay, not that it ever completely went away. Pre-pandemic interest in bicycling was slipping (per capita) in most places.
Still, one of the unexpected benefits of social distancing is that people seek ways to get outside and get active. That opened a massive door for the bicycle industry.
Here are more helpful tips to know about how many bicycles there are in the world.
- According to Worldometer, “The People’s Republic of China today produces over 60% of the world’s bicycles. 86% of the bicycles sold in the US are imports from China.”
- Despite growing concerns over pollution and climate change, most people who commute to work still take a personal vehicle if they own one rather than hopping on their bicycle or even using public transport. That said, the trend toward bike riding is growing. Between the pandemic, rising health consciousness, and environmental concerns, the demand for bikes is so high that there is a global bike shortage. The prices have gone up for manufacturers to increase production and match the supply to the demand.
- In 1950 there were less than 20,000,000 bikes produced in the world, and only 2,500,000,000 people were around to ride them. By comparison, there are about 4x as many people today and at least 50x the number of bikes.
Final Thoughts
There is a truly massive number of bicycles on earth. Though no one is tracking exactly how many, the number is over 1,000,000,000 and could easily double in the next ten years.
Only about 13% of people commute on their bikes in the US, but there are enough bikes for 1/3-1/2 of the population.
Meanwhile, Japan has enough bikes for every person to own one, and up to 90% of the population commutes by bike at least weekly.
The pandemic appears to have permanently increased the desirability and sales of bicycles for the foreseeable future. More people are riding than ever before.
