How many countries use left-hand drive vehicles

About 141 of the world’s 195 sovereign countries use left-hand drive (LHD) vehicles—meaning they drive on the right-hand side of the road. If you include dependent territories and special jurisdictions, that figure rises to roughly 165 worldwide. In broad terms, around two-thirds of the global population lives in places where LHD is standard.

What “left-hand drive” actually means

Left-hand drive refers to the placement of the steering wheel on the left side of the vehicle. This configuration is standard in right-hand traffic (RHT) countries—those in which vehicles keep to the right side of the road. By contrast, right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles are standard in left-hand traffic (LHT) countries, where vehicles keep left.

The global count—and why numbers vary

Counting can differ depending on what you include. Using only sovereign states (the 195 UN members/observers), roughly 141 use LHD/right-hand traffic and about 54 use RHD/left-hand traffic. When dependent territories and special administrative regions are included, the tally of LHD jurisdictions climbs to around 165, while LHT jurisdictions total about 75. Minor variations also arise from how de facto states and territories are classified.

Where LHD dominates

LHD is the norm across most of the world, with clear regional patterns that reflect historical, legal, and logistical alignment—especially on continents with large land borders.

• Americas: Virtually all countries in North, Central, and South America drive on the right (LHD), with the notable exceptions of Guyana and Suriname.
• Continental Europe: All mainland European countries use LHD, while the UK and Ireland drive on the left.
• Middle East: The vast majority use LHD/right-hand traffic.
• Africa: Most countries are LHD, except for a cluster of former British colonies in Eastern and Southern Africa that drive on the left.
• Central Asia and much of East/Central Europe: Predominantly LHD.

These patterns are shaped by colonial legacies, trade flows, and cross-border compatibility, which together reinforce regional consistency in vehicle configuration and road rules.

Where LHD is not standard (for contrast)

A smaller group of countries use right-hand drive vehicles and drive on the left. Understanding this contrast helps explain why the LHD count is not universal.

• Europe: United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Malta.
• Asia: Japan; South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives); Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Timor-Leste).
• Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, and several smaller Pacific states.
• Africa: Southern and Eastern Africa clusters including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, Eswatini; plus island states Mauritius and Seychelles.
• Caribbean and South America: Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, and on the mainland Guyana and Suriname.

This left-driving group comprises roughly 54 sovereign countries, representing a little over one-third of the world’s population when combined with high-population LHT countries in South and Southeast Asia.

Shifts over time

Traffic-side switches are rare today. Historic changes include Sweden (1967) and Iceland (1968) moving to right-hand traffic, Myanmar’s change in 1970, and Samoa’s 2009 switch to left-hand traffic. As of 2025, no major national changes have occurred since Samoa’s move; discussions occasionally surface (for example, about harmonization in parts of East Africa), but policy has remained stable.

Implications for travelers, trade, and safety

The side of the road a country drives on affects vehicle imports, cross-border travel, and road safety—especially when vehicle configuration doesn’t match local traffic norms.

• Vehicle compliance: Import rules often favor the local standard (LHD in RHT countries, RHD in LHT countries), affecting cost and availability.
• Cross-border logistics: Neighboring countries typically align to reduce friction in freight and tourism; mismatches can complicate border driving.
• Rental fleets and tourism: Rental providers standardize on local configuration, which affects visitor comfort and safety.
• Safety considerations: Driving a vehicle with the “wrong” configuration for the local traffic side can impair overtaking visibility and increase risk.

For travelers and importers, matching vehicle configuration to local norms generally improves safety and convenience and may reduce regulatory hurdles.

Methodology notes

The headline figure (about 141 countries using LHD) counts sovereign states only. Including dependent territories and special jurisdictions raises the LHD tally to roughly 165. Because lists differ on whether to include territories and de facto states, published totals can vary slightly. Nonetheless, the global picture is clear: most countries and most people live in places where left-hand drive vehicles are standard.

Summary

Approximately 141 sovereign countries use left-hand drive vehicles (drive on the right), and around 165 jurisdictions do so when territories are included. Regional patterns are stable and long-established, with LHD dominant across the Americas, continental Europe, much of Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, while LHT/RHD is concentrated in parts of Europe, Asia, Oceania, and select African and Caribbean states.

Are left-hand drive cars illegal in the US?

In the United States of America, it’s legal to drive a right-hand and a left-hand vehicle, but most Americans prefer going on the right. It’s also permissible to convert the left-hand drive to right-hand drive and vice versa; the process is safe but requires a hefty investment, usually around $30,000.

What country switched from left to right driving?

Sweden
‘the right-hand traffic reorganisation’), was on 3 September 1967, the day on which Sweden switched from driving on the left-hand side of the road to the right. The “H” stands for “Högertrafik”, the Swedish word for right-hand traffic. It was by far the largest logistical event in Sweden’s history.

Did Canada ever drive on the left side of the road?

Driving in the left lane was the norm on the east and west coasts of Canada, until cross-country jaunts by automobile became more common and the need for standard cross-border traffic rules became more urgent. Central Canada and the prairie provinces had always followed the American practice of driving on the right.

Does China have left-hand drive cars?

No, in mainland China, traffic drives on the right-hand side of the road, not the left. However, the former British colony of Hong Kong, and the former Portuguese colony of Macau, still drive on the left due to their distinct historical and legal frameworks.
 
Driving side in China

• Mainland China: Drives on the right-hand side of the road. 
• Special Administrative Regions: Hong Kong and Macau drive on the left. 

Why the difference?

• Hong Kong . Opens in new tabretained its left-hand traffic system from its time as a British colony, and its traffic rules are protected by a “Basic Law” ensuring its way of life remains unchanged until 2047. 
• Macau . Opens in new tabalso maintained left-hand traffic as a former Portuguese colony. 

Historical Context

• China officially changed to right-hand traffic in 1946. 
• Before the 1946 decision, different regions in China had varying driving rules, with some areas like the Shanghai International Settlement and Japanese-occupied northeast China using left-hand traffic.