Innovating Statistics for a Smarter, Sustainable Mobility in Europe
THE PROJECT
The European Statistical System (ESS) Innovation Agenda is driving a transformative shift in official statistics by leveraging new data sources, cutting-edge methods, and agile analysis to deliver faster, more detailed, and policy-relevant insights. The new traffic and mobility indicators contribute to this agenda by using innovative data sources such as the Eco-Movement data on recharging points (through European Alternative Fuel Observatory (EAFO) contract with DG MOVE), the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) database on public transportation network and the OpenStreetMap (OSM) geospatial data on road infrastructure. Using these data sources the project aims to create statistics under development by producing indicators on the availability and efficiency of public transport, as well as the density and distribution of recharging points. These new statistics will complement the existing European statistics on passenger transport without imposing additional burden on national statistical authorities.
THE MOTIVATION
Statistics on the distribution and density of recharging points are necessary due to the increasing importance of electro-mobility and the rising share of electric cars. While Eurostat currently publishes annual regional statistics on the number of electric vehicles based on a voluntary data collection, this is not the case for recharging points.
On the same note statistics on public transportation are crucial for effective planning and development, allowing city planners and transportation authorities to design systems that meet demand and optimize routes and schedules. As foreseen by Directive (EU)2023/2661 on the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems, it is expected that data on public transportation will be available in digital format. This opens a new window for producing statistics on the availability and efficiency of public transport by mode, which do not exist now.
Overall the project aims to showcase the use of innovative data sources and eventually produce statistics at European level that will complement the existing European statistics on passenger transport in support to the objectives of the EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy.
THE METHODOLOGY
In 2022, Eurostat initiated the Traffic and Mobility Lab (TMLAB) project to produce statistical indicators on traffic and mobility using new innovative data as well as implementing a shared collection method. From this project, two use cases were identified to produce high-quality statistics on:
- The availability and efficiency of public transport, using the open-source GTFS database complemented by the OSM data, both aggregated at NUTS level (Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics). The new statistical indicators provide information on the number of public transport stops and lines, as well as a comparison on the percentage area covered and the percentage of population reached within a certain time by public transport compared to those by passenger car.
- The density and distribution of recharging points by energy capacity classification, as defined by Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (AFIR), using the Eco-Movement privately-held data on recharging points. The new statistical indicators provide information on the number of recharging points aggregated at different NUTS levels by energy capacity, as well as the average and maximum travelling time between recharging points within a NUTS region – aiming to identify recharging ‘deserts’.
In February 2026, Eurostat produced its first statistics under development on a limited geographical area, covering only 3 EU countries.
The proposed statistical indicators are considered promising as they are of high potential to be developed into European statistics. Eurostat is currently working on increasing the coverage to include EU, European Free Trade Association (EFTA), candidate countries and the potential candidate, as well as improving the current methodology.
MORE INFORMATION
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/experimental-statistics/public-transport
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/experimental-statistics/recharging-stations
Published statistics - Experimental statistics - Eurostat
THE TEAM
- Eurostat
Contact: ESTAT-TRANSPORT@ec.europa.eu
LAST UPDATE: March 2026
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