Do you know which are the countries with the best roads in the world in 2020? Let’s find out together.
When we talk about the “best roads” what exactly do we mean? Usually, the parameters which are taken into consideration are road quality, road safety, and road infrastructure. Some of the countries with the best road infrastructure are Belgium, Singapore and in the first place, the US, at least according to our previous article on the subject. What was also written in this article, is that the US “has more expressways than any other country in the world.” Another thing interesting to know is that the United States spends approximately $71, 312 million on road infrastructure, which is highly related to the quality of roads. If you are want to know more about governments’ spending, you can check out the list of countries by infrastructure spending in 10 Countries That Spend the Most on Infrastructure.
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The infrastructure of roads is also closely related to the infrastructure of cities. Moreover, a city’s infrastructure is not just a key for attracting foreign investments and multinational companies, but it can also affect the quality of living of its citizens. Some of the world’s best cities concerning infrastructure are, again Singapore, Frankfurt and Munich, according to the City A.M. Another source, the World Economic Forum, shows that “well-developed infrastructure is a critical factor underpinning economic growth and strength.” So, the WEF evaluated the infrastructure of the 140 world’s economies on various measures, and as a result, they got the Global Competitiveness Report 2015-16. In this infrastructure rankings, number one is Hong Kong.
In order to create our list of the countries with best roads, we decided to use the World Economic Forum survey of quality of roads by country conducted for the year 2016-2017, as the latest source of information. We first wrote an article on this topic a couple years ago. Since then, the World Economic Forum hasn’t released any new data on the quality of roads in various countries, so the same data points are still valid today.
The study researched the quality (extensiveness and condition) of road infrastructure. The roads are given scores from 1, being extremely poor and among the worst in the world, to 7, being extremely good and among the best in the world. They basically developed some sort of quality of roads index from 1 to 7. By contrasting data, we calculated the average score for each country and ranked them in that manner. To make a comparison on your own, we advise you to also read 11 Countries with the Best Roads in the World, published three years ago. Since we’re already talking about our previous articles check out our list of best countries in the world in order to learn more about best countries to live in the world. We are sure that some of them are on the list below.
Now, let’s see which are the countries with the best roads in the world in 2020!
15. Portugal
Average score: 10.4
Roads in Portugal are defined by the National Road Plan, which describes in details the road network in this country. Its road infrastructure was considered to be the best in Europe and the second best in the world by the World Economic Forum in its Global Competitiveness Report for 2014–2015. For 2016-2017, Portuguese score is 5.9 out of 7, which makes it still among the best ones in the world.
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14. Republic of Korea
Average score: 10.6
In Korea, the number of paved roads increased dramatically between 1951 and 2014, from 580 km to over 87 000 km. This expansion of Korea’s expressway, highway and major road network has created benefits for cities and rural areas across the country, contributing both to economic growth and creation of connections, as well as the environmental changes. On the other hand, it also provokes a lot of traffic accidents. In Quality of Roads Report 2016-17, Korea has a score of 5.6 out of 7.
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13. Luxembourg
Average score: 10.8
According to the World Economic Forum, the TEN-T Core Rail Network is 85% complete, while the road network stands at 53% completion. Quality of railroad infrastructure is, by the EU rank, in the seventh-place out of 26. For the quality of roads parameter, the country was on 7th place out of 28 in the report for the years 2015-2016. Also, its score on the Quality of Road Report was 5.6 out of 7.
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11. Taiwan
Average score: 11
There is a proper classification of the highway system in Taiwan. First, there are National Highways, also called Freeway. Then there are Provincial Highways, also called Expressway. The ones that follow are the County and City Highways, Township and District Roads, and in the end, the Special Roads. According to the World Economic Forum survey 2016-17, Taiwan’s score is 5.7.
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11. Denmark
Average score: 11
It is not surprising to find out that among the countries with the best roads in the world in 2020 is also Denmark! It has the same score on the WEF Survey as the previously mentioned country (5.7 out of 7). Moreover, this country has a numbering system that is developed by the Danish Road Directorate. Currently, there are 37 Danish national roads.
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9. Austria
Average score: 11.1
The roads in Austria are called Autobahns. They are controlled-access highways under the authority of the Federal Government and by the Austrian Federal Road Act. They have excellent motorway, highway and federal roads network that connects Austria with its neighboring states. Another good thing is that all main border checkpoints are open day and night. According to the World Economic Forum survey 2016-17, its score on road quality is 6 out of 7.
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9. France
Average score: 11.1
France ranks 9th on our list of countries with the best roads in the world in 2020. The country has a good road system that includes everything from motorways to forest dirt tracks. The motorways are excellent as well as the other main roads, but, on the other hand, urban roads and minor roads in rural areas can be poorly maintained. The road system in France consists mostly of toll roads. It is a network of 7,383 mi worth of motorways. According to the World Economic Forum, its overall score of road quality for 2016-17 is 6.0.
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7. The United States
Average score: 11.2
The highway system of the United States is a network of interconnected state and Interstate highways. Each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have a part of this system. It consists of Interstate Highways, US Numbered Highways, State Highways and Scenic Byways. Interstate Highways have the highest speed limits, as well as the highest traffic. Its score on the WEF survey of quality of roads is 5.6.
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7. Finland
Average score: 11.2
On the seventh position on our list of the countries with the best roads in the world in 2020 is Finland. Roads in Finland comprise 48,555 mi of highways, paved and gravel roads. However, the total length of the public roads, private and forest roads and streets in Finland is about 282,000 mi. According to the World Economic Forum survey of quality of roads, its score is 5.7 out of 7, which is pretty high.
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5. Japan
Average score: 11.6
This beautiful country is very well known for its magnificent roads. It has some of the world’s most fascinating landscapes as well as the carscapes. We shouldn’t forget that this country gave us drifting, and in addition, Japan has no shortage of rousing routes to explore. According to the World Economic Forum, its score based on the quality of roads in 2016-17 is 6.1.
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Let’s see the top five countries with the best roads in the world in 2020, shall we?
5. The Netherlands
Average score:11.6
The Netherlands is definitely one of the countries with best road infrastructure. It has 139,000 km of public roads, and moreover, there are estimated to be one of the densest road networks in the world! Dutch roads include at least 3,530 km of motorways and expressways. Motorway density is 64 km per 1,000 km², which makes the Netherlands among the top countries with the densest motorway networks in the world. According to the World Economic Forum, its score of the quality of roads for 2016-17, is 6.1.
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4. Hong Kong
Average score: 11.7
Hong Kong has one of the best roads which is why it is often referred as a “destination made for driving.” Besides them being well built and safe, they are among the most scenic roads in the world. Some of the most interesting ones are definitely Sai Kung and Sai Perimeter Road, just to name few. According to the World Economic Forum, its score on road quality is 6.2.
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3. United Arab Emirates
Average score: 11.7
Third on our list of countries with the best roads in the world in 2020 is the United Arab Emirates! The UAE roads showed the biggest safety and quality, according to the World Economic Forum survey, with the highest score of 6.5. However, despite the standards of roads in the UAE, it performs poorly in congestion and traffic accidents.
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2. Switzerland
Average score: 11.8
Switzerland has two type of motorways: motorways with separated roads for oncoming traffic with a standard maximal speed limit of 120 km/h, and expressways often with oncoming traffic and a standard maximal speed limit of 100 km/h. Moreover, even though its roads are high in quality, there are also some of them that are very dangerous, like The Saint Gotthard Pass. The score from the World Economic Forum survey on quality of roads was 6.0 out of 7.
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1. Singapore
Average score: 12
Finally, on the top of our list of countries with the best roads in the world in 2020 is Singapore. Its government has made significant investments in the road infrastructure over the last years, in order to ensure good connectivity for people and goods. One of the biggest road projects that were completed 2013 was the 5 km Marina Coastal Expressway. Moreover, according to the World Economic Forum survey, the score for this country’s roads’ quality is 6.3 out of 7, which is astonishing.
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