The 21st century has begun with the lowest levels of road deaths since systematic reporting began in most member countries of the International Transport Forum. The number of people killed on road in 2015 remains overall stable in the 32 countries for which preliminary data are available. However there are worrying signs of an increase in some countries, perhaps related to economic recovery. In countries with a low number of people killed on the roads, relatively small changes in fatalities have large impacts on figures for annual changes, as in the case of Iceland, Malta and Luxembourg. World GDP grew by 3.1% in 2015, almost at the same pace as in 2014. GDP in most advanced economies expanded by 1.9%, while GDP in emerging economies increased at a slower pace with respect to the previous years (4%). World export volume grew 3.3%, slightly more than in 2014. World container traffic (measured in TEUs) and air freight tonne-km increased 6.7% and 2.2% respectively in 2015, showing a slowdown in air freight with respect to 2014. Preliminary estimation for 2015 from the International Transport Forum’s database show only a modest increase of rail freight in Russia and in the EU area (0.2%) and a decrease in the US (-5.6%). Road freight tonne-km continued to expand in the EU area (+1.6%) but contracted in Russia (-5.8%), according to preliminary estimates. Air freight, considered a lead indicator for overall economic performance, have fallen since the second quarter of 2015 in the United Sates after growing above the pre-crisis level between 2014 and 2015 for the first time since 2012. In the EU-28, air freight volumes remain around the pre-crisis peak, according to preliminary seasonally adjusted data. Total external trade by sea, measured in tonnes of goods carried, grew in the EU-28 above the pre-crisis levels, but it is far below the pre-crisis level in the US. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting