IRF data 2018: Europe sees a decrease in road expenditure and road maintenance expenditure

The IRF World Road Statistics (WRS) 2018 edition has just been released. First analysis of the data on road expenditure and road maintenance expenditure in Europe shows a decrease of 11% and 8%, respectively, for the period of 2011 to 2016. Investing in roads and their maintenance is essential for economic growth and the mobility of a region. Maintenance by itself is crucial since poorly maintained roads lead to a downfall of the road network value, resulting in higher future costs related to road safety,
December 11, 2018 Read time: 3 mins
The 1201 IRF Geneva World Road Statistics (WRS) 2018 edition has just been released. First analysis of the data on road expenditure and road maintenance expenditure in Europe shows a decrease of 11% and 8%, respectively, for the period of 2011 to 2016.


Investing in roads and their maintenance is essential for economic growth and the mobility of a region. Maintenance by itself is crucial since poorly maintained roads lead to a downfall of the road network value, resulting in higher future costs related to road safety, accessibility and operating vehicles.

Available data provided by the WRS 2018 includes the total road expenditures from Central, Local/Regional government and the private sector, with a breakdown of data into total road investments, road maintenance and other recurrent costs. The first analysis highlights important findings for the European region.

Total European road expenditure (investments, maintenance and other costs) in 2016 has decreased by 11% vs 2011, driven by a significant expenditure decline in Spain and France, partially offset by an increase in UK spending during the same period.

Total European road maintenance expenditure in 2016 has decreased by 8% vs 2011, primarily driven by decreased spending in UK and France.

The graph shows the year by year percentage change, as well as the total percentage change, of European Road and Road Maintenance Expenditure for the 2011-2016 period.

During the period of 2011 to 2016, the European region continuously decreased its spending on its road network, with the exemption of the period of 2014-2015 where there was a marginal increase of 1%. Multiple economic and policy factors are at the base of this decrease mainly driven by Spain and France which represent two of the main freight transport corridors in Europe.

Road maintenance expenditure in Europe also show a decreasing trend. There has been a continuous decline, with the only exception being 2015-2016 where maintenance expenditure was flat. The primary causes for this decline are periodic maintenance contracts and economic factors. It is interesting to highlight that the UK shows a decrease in road maintenance expenditure whilst total road expenditure is increasing. There was a clear focus on new road investments during the 2011-2016 period, with UK road investments being almost double their road maintenance expenditure.

The new WRS 2018 encompass updated data of over 200 countries: Country Profile, Road Networks, Road Traffic, Multimodal Traffic Comparisons, Vehicles in Use, Road Accidents, Vehicles Industry (Production, Imports, Exports and First Registrations), Road Expenditures & Revenues, and Fuel Energy Prices.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Wacker Neuson is reporting strong half year results
    August 6, 2019
    Wacker Neuson is reporting strong financial performance for the first half of 2019. The firm says that it continued on its growth path, with revenue climbing 15.2% compared with the same period in the previous year. Revenue hit €950.7 million compared with €825.1 million for the first half of 2019. “The first half of the year showed us once again that our solutions meet the needs of our customers,” explained Martin Lehner, CEO of Wacker Neuson SE. “We gained shares in numerous markets, driven largely by our
    Read More
  • TRA 2014 showcases the best of cutting-edge transport research and thinking
    July 1, 2014
    Despite tight finances due to the current global economic climate, the recent Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2014 show in Paris showed how innovative transport research, largely using cutting-edge ITS, is creating safer and smarter highways of the future. Guy Woodford reports How far can you drive around a car race track with no other vehicles on it on half a glass of fuel while attempting to maintain a speed of 60kph? After taking up the challenge offered by the Eco Driving Simulator using SiVIC (Simulatio
    Read More
  • Better maintenance is on the Horizon for UK’s Warrington Council
    May 15, 2018
    Good, readable analysis of road surfaces to ensure sufficient maintenance funding is an essential part of asset management. The technical side of ensuring a good road surface is integral to maintaining safe, superior highway infrastructure. But securing sufficient government funding for such work – repairs and new-build – based on the current road surface is also essential. To evaluate road conditions and structure for such a business case, one UK local council turned to software provider Yotta.
    Read More
  • IRF World Meeting: Strong business opportunities in a growing region
    September 26, 2013
    The 17th IRF World Meeting & Exhibition offers a chance for the industry to see what is going on in the field of infrastructure, not only in Riyadh but also in the whole of Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region. According to IRF chairman and mayor of Riyadh Eng Abdullah A Al-Mogbel, “Ongoing infrastructure programs concern not only roads and railways, but a whole swath of civil engineering projects — I am convinced many more companies that are not currently operating in the Kingdom should take this opportu
    Read More

Highlighted Content