Road Quality by Country 2025
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2.5
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3.5
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4.5
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5.5
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6.5
5 Countries with the Best Roads
- Roads Quality Index methodology: Quality of Road Infrastructure (QRI) score, published by the WEF, is currently based on 2019 data from a survey of business leaders in 144 countries, who were asked to rate the quality of roads on a scale from 1 (underdeveloped) to 7 (extensive and efficient by international standards).
- Mean Speed Score, used by the IMF with the latest data of 2022, is a measure of cross-country road quality based on the travel time between large cities according to Google Maps. MS score correlates closely with the World Bank’s Rural Access Index and the WEF’s Quality of Road Infrastructure score, demonstrating its accuracy as a proxy for road quality and access.
- Higher scores are preferable in both indicators displayed.
Road quality is a crucial part of the infrastructure of countries worldwide. However, some countries have better road quality than others. To determine the country with the best roads, a QRI score or Roads Quality Index score has been awarded to many countries. The QRI rating was determined after a survey was conducted that involved business leaders from 144 countries and their opinions on roadways around the world. In this article, we will dive deeper into the most current worldwide road quality statistics available as of June 2024.
Top 10 Countries with the Highest QRI Score (2019, World Economic Forum)
Country | QRI Score 2019 (1-7) |
|---|---|
| Singapore | 6.45 |
| Switzerland | 6.36 |
| Netherlands | 6.18 |
| Hong Kong | 6.06 |
| Portugal | 6.05 |
| Japan | 6.02 |
| France | 5.96 |
| Oman | 5.96 |
| United Arab Emirates | 5.92 |
| Austria | 5.89 |
Although the United States has the most roads in the world, it does not have the highest road quality rating. Currently, the country with the highest road quality index of 6.5 is Singapore. The Netherlands is currently second with a QRI rating of 6.4. Switzerland is third at a 6.3 QRI. Japan and Hong Kong tie for the fourth spot at a healthy 6.1 QRI.
Other countries that have high QRI ratings include Portugal, UAE, and Austria tying at a solid 6.0, South Korea at 5.9, and Spain at 5.7.
While some countries have great road systems, there are countries with poor systems as well. Currently, Chad has the lowest road quality index in the world with a rating of only 1.9. Madagascar and Mauritania are two countries that have slightly better roads than Chad, their QRI scores sitting at 2.0. DR Congo, Yemen, and Haiti all have QRI ratings of 2.1.
Another important statistic to consider when judging the quality of a country’s roads is the mean speed score, which is based on the travel times between major cities. According to the latest data (International Money Fund, 2022), the United States heads the list with a score of 107. Three countries are currently tied for second place in regard to mean speed score. Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Portugal all have scores of 106. France comes in fourth with an impressive 105 rating. Spain at 103, Oman at 102, and South Africa at 100 also are high on the list and round out the 100+ club of mean speed score countries.
The country that has the lowest mean speed score is currently Bhutan, which has a score of 38. Nepal and Timor Leste have slightly better mean speed scores than Bhutan and come in at 40. Bangladesh and Haiti, both at 41, and Nicaragua at 46 make up the final countries that round out the five with the lowest mean speed scores.
