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Is your city on the list? The world’s most traffic-congested cities

Istanbul takes the top spot, with New York City following closely behind.

By Amanda Teague Jan 7, 2025 7:02 AM

Traffic — shivaphotographyy / Pixabay

INRIX, a leader in transportation analytics, has just released their 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard, which ranks congestion in nearly 950 cities across 37 countries. The findings paint a stark picture of the time lost to traffic delays, with some cities seeing record-breaking congestion levels.

The city of Istanbul, Turkey claimed the title of the world’s most traffic-congested city, with drivers enduring a staggering 105 hours of delay per year. That’s a 15% increase from the previous year, further cementing Istanbul’s status as a traffic nightmare. The average downtown speed in Istanbul is a mere 15 mph, highlighting just how slow it can be to navigate the streets. With a growing population and increasing car usage, it seems that traffic congestion is only getting worse in this metropolis.

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Second place on the list goes to none other than New York City. With an average downtown speed of just 13 mph, it’s no wonder that driving in NYC is often considered a test of patience. The city’s recent implementation of congestion pricing fees in some areas aims to alleviate the traffic woes, but for now, drivers still face significant delays.

In third place is another U.S. city, Chicago. With drivers here losing 102 hours per year due to congestion, it’s clear that the Windy City has major traffic struggles.

While the statistics for these cities are grim for drivers, there is a silver lining. Many of the cities on this list, including New York, Istanbul, and Chicago, are known for their robust public transportation systems. For those looking to avoid the stress of gridlock, taking the bus, train, or metro could be a smarter choice.

The 25 most congested cities in the world

cars in traffic — Pexels / Pixabay

Here’s the full list of the 25 most congested cities in the world.

Istanbul, Turkey
New York City, New York, United States
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Mexico City, Mexico
London, Great Britain
Paris, France
Jakarta, Indonesia
Los Angeles, California, United States
Cape Town, South Africa
Brisbane, Australia
Bangkok, Thailand
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Miami, Florida, United States
Dublin, Ireland
Rome, Italy
Houston, Texas, United States
Brussels, Belgium
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Warsaw, Poland
Melbourne, Australia
Washington DC, United States
Seattle, Washington, United States
Milan, Italy
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Amanda, an accomplished freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio, is a dedicated explorer of both the world and the written word… Read Full Bio

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