Istanbul has once again established itself as the world’s most congested city, with drivers spending an average of 118 hours in traffic jams in 2025, according to the latest data published by US traffic analysis firm Inrix.
The report published by Inrix, which analyses more than 900 cities in 36 countries, reveals that traffic delays in the Turkish metropolis increased by 12% over the previous year to place it ahead of Chicago, Mexico City, New York and Philadelphia.
In the overall ranking, Chicago comes just behind Istanbul with 112 hours lost behind the wheel, while in third place is Mexico City, where drivers spend 108 hours a year in traffic delays. New York with 102 hours and Philadelphia with 101 hours of traffic jams are 4th and 5th in the global ranking, respectively.
In Europe, Dublin has this year overtaken London, which had topped the regional ranking for four consecutive years, to reach 95 hours of congestion, while in Asia the ranking – excluding Istanbul, which sits between two continents – is led by Jakarta with 83 hours.
Ankara and Izmir, also among the most congested cities
Outside of Istanbul, other major cities in Turkey also feature in the list of the world’s most congested cities. Ankara ranks 20th and Izmir 21st. Residents of the Turkish capital spend 71 hours a year in traffic jams, while those of Izmir suffer 72 hours a year: an increase of 53% over 2024, which analysts consider particularly relevant and worrying.
Experts attribute Istanbul‘s persistent traffic problems to a combination of rapid urban growth, high population density and geographical constraints. With some 16 million inhabitants and split between two continents, Istanbul is forced to channel much of the flow of vehicles through a limited number of bridges and tunnels across the Bosphorus Strait, which bisects the city and separates Europe from Asia.
Many have long warned that the Turkish metropolis’s road network already operates above capacity at peak hours, and the situation will worsen in the coming years unless new measures are taken, which some analysts say could include introducing a payment system to reduce car access to the city centre. According to estimates, traffic congestion causes Istanbul annual economic losses of between 5 and 6 billion euros.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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