Paris leads the world’s major global metropolises in pedestrian mobility, with over half of all daily trips completed entirely on foot, according to a September 2026 study published by the Paris Urbanism Agency (Apur). The research, titled “Nouvelles mobilités métropolitaines,” compares travel dynamics across Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, London, New York, Paris, and Tokyo.
Pedestrian Dominance in the French Capital
According to the Apur study, 56 percent of trips within Paris are conducted entirely on foot. This puts the French capital roughly 13 points ahead of central London and 18 points ahead of central Berlin. The gap widens further when compared to Amsterdam, where the difference reaches 26 points, and Tokyo, which trails the Paris pedestrian rate by 32 points. Across the broader Greater Paris region, walking accounts for approximately half of all local transit.
Decline of Motorized Transport and Rise of Cycling
Private cars and motorized two-wheelers account for only about 8 percent of trips inside Paris, marking a continuous multi-decade decline. According to Apur data, the use of individual motorized transport by Parisians dropped 13 percentage points between 2001 and 2019. This decrease directly benefited walking, which grew by 9 points, alongside expanding bicycle infrastructure.
The City of Paris reported 1,293 kilometers of cycling paths in 2025, a significant expansion from 181 kilometers in 2000 and 836 kilometers in 2017. Despite these gains, cycling accounts for just 3 percent of daily trips in Paris, a figure comparable to Barcelona and central London, but far behind Amsterdam, where bicycles drive 34 percent of local movement. Meanwhile, public transit handles 31 percent of Parisian trips, placing public transport usage four to five points above Berlin and Barcelona, though still behind Tokyo’s 54 percent transit share.
Household Car Ownership and Global Mobility Comparison
Car ownership rates among Parisian households reflect this heavy reliance on walking and transit. According to the Apur report, 68 percent of Parisian households do not own a car. This share exceeds car-free household figures in central London at 64 percent and central Berlin at 62 percent. Over the past two decades, reductions in household car ownership have occurred most rapidly in Paris, Barcelona, and Tokyo.
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