Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus relies heavily on road transport, has above-average traffic congestion and performs strongly on road safety, according to a European Commission report examining transport and tourism trends across the European Union.
EU transport assessment
The report, titled “Transport and tourism in the European Union – Current trends and issues”, provides an overview of recent developments across the bloc. It assesses competitiveness through sustainability, resilience, connectivity, safety, security and the social dimension of mobility.
It also includes detailed factsheets for each member state, enabling comparisons between Cyprus’ transport performance and EU averages across a range of indicators.
Passenger and freight transport
Passenger cars accounted for 83.5 per cent of inland passenger transport in Cyprus in 2023, slightly above the EU average of 82.0 per cent.
Buses and coaches provided the remaining 16.5 per cent of passenger transport in Cyprus, more than double the EU average of 8.2 per cent.
Road transport accounted for 100 per cent of inland freight transport in Cyprus in 2023. Cyprus and Malta were the only EU member states entirely dependent on roads for domestic freight movement.
Cyprus has no railway network, meaning rail market competition indicators included in the report do not apply to the country.
Transport emissions
The Commission identified transport emissions as a significant contributor to Cyprus’ greenhouse gas output.
In 2023, greenhouse gas emissions from transport, including international maritime and aviation fuels, represented 37.9 per cent of Cyprus’ total emissions, equivalent to 3.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Across the EU, transport accounted for 31 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions, amounting to 1,039.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.