Who else drives on the right-hand side?

Most of the world drives on the right-hand side of the road — roughly three-quarters of countries, covering about two-thirds of the global population — including the United States, Canada, nearly all of Latin America, continental Europe, Russia, China, and most of the Middle East and Africa. This article outlines where right-hand traffic (RHT) is standard, highlights notable exceptions, and explains the global pattern by region.

The global picture

Right-hand traffic is the norm across the Americas, continental Europe, the Middle East, and much of Africa and Asia. Left-hand traffic (LHT) persists primarily in the UK and Ireland, parts of Southern Africa and East Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asian nations like Thailand and Malaysia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and several Pacific and Caribbean islands. No major country has changed sides in recent years.

Where people drive on the right

Americas

In North, Central, and South America, right-hand traffic is nearly universal. The main exceptions are Guyana and Suriname on the mainland and many island nations in the Caribbean, which drive on the left due to British colonial legacy.

• Examples: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico (US territory)

Outside of Guyana, Suriname, and several Caribbean islands, drivers throughout the Americas keep to the right.

Europe and Central Asia

Continental Europe overwhelmingly uses right-hand traffic. Notable exceptions are the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta, which drive on the left. Across the Caucasus and Central Asia, right-hand traffic is standard.

• Examples (Europe): France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein
• Examples (Caucasus and Central Asia): Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

Except for the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta, drivers across Europe and into Central Asia travel on the right.

Africa and the Middle East

Most African countries drive on the right, while a cluster in Southern and East Africa use the left. The Middle East is almost entirely right-hand traffic.

• Examples (Africa): Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia
• Examples (Middle East): Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Iraq, Iran

While Southern and parts of East Africa have left-hand traffic, the rest of Africa and nearly all of the Middle East are right-driving.

Asia-Pacific

On the Asian mainland, right-hand traffic dominates in China and across most of continental Southeast Asia, as well as in Mongolia and the Koreas. South Asia and several Southeast Asian countries drive on the left. The Pacific is mixed, with Australia and New Zealand on the left and many US- and French-administered territories on the right.

• Examples (Asia): China (mainland), South Korea, North Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Afghanistan, Russia (Asian regions)
• Examples (Pacific and territories): Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, Vanuatu

Aside from left-driving countries such as Japan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Australia, and New Zealand, much of Asia-Pacific uses right-hand traffic.

Countries and territories that do not drive on the right (they drive on the left)

A clear way to understand “who else drives on the right” is to look at the exceptions. The following lists group left-hand traffic jurisdictions by region; virtually all others drive on the right.

Europe

Only a handful of European jurisdictions drive on the left, reflecting British and Mediterranean island practices.

• United Kingdom, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Cyprus, Malta

Beyond these, driving on the right is standard across Europe.

Africa

Left-hand traffic in Africa clusters in the south and parts of the east, influenced by historic links to the UK and South Africa.

• South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini (Swaziland), Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius, Seychelles

Most other African nations drive on the right.

Asia

Left-hand traffic in Asia spans South Asia, Japan, and parts of Southeast Asia, with two Special Administrative Regions in China also keeping left.

• Japan; India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives; Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Timor-Leste; Hong Kong, Macau

Mainland China and most of continental Southeast and East Asia otherwise drive on the right.

Oceania

Australia and New Zealand anchor left-hand traffic in the Pacific, joined by several island countries and territories.

• Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Many US- and French-administered Pacific territories use right-hand traffic.

Caribbean and Americas (left-driving exceptions)

The Americas are overwhelmingly right-driving; these are the notable left-driving exceptions.

• Guyana, Suriname; Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos, United States Virgin Islands

Elsewhere in the Americas, right-hand traffic is the rule.

Bottom line

If you’re asking “who else drives on the right-hand side,” the answer is: almost everyone. Outside of a well-defined group of left-driving countries and territories (notably the UK and Ireland; Southern and parts of East Africa; South Asia; Japan and parts of Southeast Asia; Australia, New Zealand, and some Pacific and Caribbean islands), the rest of the world keeps to the right.

Summary

About three-quarters of countries — including the US, Canada, continental Europe, Russia, China, most of Latin America, the Middle East, and most of Africa — drive on the right. The main left-driving holdouts are in the UK and Ireland, Southern/East Africa, South Asia, Japan, parts of Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and several Pacific and Caribbean islands. In practical terms, unless you’re in one of those left-driving jurisdictions, you’ll be driving on the right.

Do all African countries drive on the left?

A total of 15 countries in Africa have traffic on the left side of the road. These include the well-known tourist hotspots, such as Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa. Keep this in mind when renting a car there. A busy intersection in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

Who else drives on the right side of the road?

Drive on the Right

Country	Drive on the Right ↓
Germany	Right
France	Right
Italy	Right
Myanmar	Right

Does Europe drive on right or left?

RHT is used in 165 countries and territories, mainly in the Americas, Continental Europe, most of Africa and mainland Asia (except South Asia and Thailand), while 75 countries use LHT, which account for about a sixth of the world’s land area, a quarter of its roads, and about a third of its population.

How many countries are right-hand drive?

163 countries
There are 163 countries and territories that drive on the right side of the road, while 76 of them drive on the left. Many of the countries that drive on the left — making up about 30% of the world’s population — are former British colonies, including ones in Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, and Oceania.