How Many Countries Use Right-Hand Traffic?

About 165 countries and territories use right-hand traffic (RHT). Counting only sovereign states, roughly three-quarters of the 193 UN member countries—somewhere in the mid‑140s—drive on the right, with most of continental Europe, the Americas, mainland China, and much of Africa following this convention.

Why the exact count can vary

Different sources report slightly different totals because “how many countries” depends on what you include. This matters for places with special administrative arrangements, small island nations, or territories that follow a different rule from their sovereign state.

• Sovereignty criteria: Whether you count only UN member states or include non‑UN states and partially recognized entities.
• Territories and dependencies: Many territories are not independent but have their own traffic rules (for example, Hong Kong and Macao drive on the left while mainland China drives on the right).
• Local exceptions: A few jurisdictions follow the opposite rule from their associated country (e.g., the U.S. Virgin Islands drive on the left, though the U.S. is right‑hand traffic).
• Recent historical changes: Several countries switched sides in the mid‑ to late‑20th century, which can affect older statistics if not updated.

Because of these factors, reputable references often give an “about” figure rather than a single fixed number, especially when including territories.

Where right-hand traffic predominates

Right-hand traffic is the global default across large contiguous regions and most of the world’s landmass. The following broad regions overwhelmingly use RHT:

• Continental Europe (all EU members except Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta)
• North, Central, and South America (with the notable exceptions of Guyana and Suriname)
• Mainland China and most of continental East and Central Asia
• Most of the Middle East
• North and West Africa, and much of Central Africa

These regions account for the bulk of countries using right-hand traffic and include many of the world’s most populous states and largest road networks.

Left-hand traffic countries (for contrast)

Understanding where left-hand traffic (LHT) is used helps explain why RHT still dominates numerically. LHT is common in countries with historical ties to the British Empire and in parts of Asia and the Pacific.

• Europe: United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Malta
• Asia: Japan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Timor‑Leste
• Africa and Indian Ocean: South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius, Seychelles
• Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga
• Americas (exceptions): Guyana, Suriname, and several Caribbean nations such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Bahamas, and others

These LHT countries are fewer in number than RHT countries but include several large populations (notably India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh).

Notable switches and special cases

Traffic orientation can and does change—typically for regional alignment and safety reasons. A handful of high‑profile shifts and exceptions illustrate why the counts are periodically revisited.

• Sweden (1967) and Iceland (1968) switched from left to right to harmonize with neighbors.
• Myanmar (1970) changed from left to right; many vehicles remained right‑hand‑drive for years afterward.
• Several West African countries moved from left to right in the 1960s–70s to match regional traffic norms.
• Samoa (2009) switched from right to left to align with Australia and New Zealand vehicle markets.
• Special administrative regions: Hong Kong and Macao drive on the left, despite mainland China’s right‑hand traffic; dedicated interchanges manage border transitions.
• Cross‑border anomalies: Gibraltar drives on the right due to its link with Spain, while the United Kingdom drives on the left.
• Territorial exceptions: The U.S. Virgin Islands drive on the left, unlike the rest of the United States.

These changes are infrequent today, but they underscore why precise tallies may differ by source and methodology.

Summary

Approximately 165 countries and territories use right-hand traffic. Limiting the scope to sovereign states, roughly three-quarters of UN members—on the order of the mid‑140s—drive on the right. While RHT is the dominant global norm, a substantial minority of countries, especially in the Commonwealth, parts of Asia, and the Pacific, use left-hand traffic.

How many countries have right-hand drive?

Which countries drive on the right and which drive on the left? Approximately two-thirds of the global population drive on the right side of the street. All in all, 174 countries and territories have right-hand drive traffic while vehicles use the left side in 78 countries.

Is China right-hand drive vehicles?

However, mainland China drives on the right-hand side of the road while Hong Kong is a left-hand drive city. When a mainland driver crosses into Hong Kong, he is likely to sometimes mistakenly end up on the wrong side of the road, and vice versa.

Which country switched from left-hand traffic to right-hand traffic?

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.

Does America use left-hand traffic?

Yes, most vehicles in the United States are left-hand drive because the U.S. drives on the right side of the road, a practice that became standard in Colonial America. The driver’s position on the left provides better visibility of oncoming traffic and makes it easier to safely pull out from parallel parking. An exception is the U.S. Virgin Islands, where drivers travel on the left, but cars still have their steering wheels on the left, which is a unique situation.
 
Why the U.S. uses left-hand drive cars:

• Right-hand travel: The U.S. adopted right-hand driving early on, with New York instituting the rule for public highways in 1804. 
• Visibility: Having the steering wheel on the left allows drivers to better see oncoming traffic that is coming from the left. 
• Historical factors: The tradition of right-hand driving may stem from large, bulky Conestoga wagons and a resistance to British customs, which favored left-hand traffic. 

Where it’s different:

• U.S. Virgin Islands: Opens in new tabThis U.S. territory drives on the left side of the road, though their vehicles still have the steering wheel on the left. 
• Specialized Vehicles: Opens in new tabA small number of specialized U.S. vehicles, such as mail delivery vehicles, may be built with right-hand drive to improve functionality for the driver. 

Where to see right-hand drive cars: 

• In countries like the United Kingdom, Japan, India, and Australia, which drive on the left side of the road.