Cyprus is riding high as one of the top four European countries with the most cars per 1,000 residents. The numbers, released by Eurostat on Wednesday, affirm what many know already: Cypriots go everywhere with their cars.
As of 2022, the EU’s average count of cars per 1,000 residents stood at 560. Over the past decade, from 2012 to 2022, this average revved up by 14.3%, shifting gears from 490 to 560 cars per 1,000 residents.
Italy took the lead with a roaring 684 cars per 1,000 residents, closely trailed by Luxembourg (678), Finland (661), and Cyprus, hitting 658.
Zooming in, Cyprus’ car ownership stats have accelerated by 19.85% over the decade from 2012 to 2022.
However, not every country is in the fast lane.
Latvia has the lowest rate, with 414 cars per 1,000 residents, followed by Romania (417) and Hungary (424).
The central and eastern EU countries have been on a speed race, clocking high growth rates in car ownership between 2012 and 2022.
Romania takes first place, reporting the highest increase in cars per 1,000 residents (+86.2% +193), followed by Croatia (+44.8% +152), Hungary (+40.9% +123), Slovakia (+40.1% +135), and Estonia (+39.7% +181).
As for fuel, in 11 out of 23 EU member states with available 2022 data, more than half the cars run on petrol.
Cyprus on petrol
The Netherlands took the lead with 85.2%, followed by Cyprus (78.2%), Finland (72.6%), and Denmark (68.6%).
Diesel-powered engines hit the road with force in Lithuania (67.0%), Latvia (65.9%), Ireland (57.2%), Portugal (56.5%), Croatia (55.8%), Spain (54.3%), France (53.4%), Austria (52.3%), Romania (50.2%), and Slovenia (50.1%).
Italy, Sweden, and Lithuania took the eco-friendly route with significant contributions from alternative fuels (excluding hybrids) at 10.0%, 8.3%, and 7.1%, respectively.
Shifting gears, and road surface, let’s talk tractors.
In 2022, Lithuania led the convoy with an average of 17.3 road tractors per 1,000 residents, followed by Poland (12.9), Estonia (9.5), Hungary (9.3), and Romania (8.8).
On the opposite end, the Czech Republic (0.3), Sweden (0.9), Austria, and Malta (both 2.2), along with Cyprus and Greece (both 2.3), preferred a slower, scenic drive.
