Nature and Biodiversity

These are the most congested cities in the world

Pedestrians walk between cars stopped in traffic on 6th Avenue in New York July 14, 2011.  REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: CITYSCAPE) - GM1E77F0TPW01

It's estimated that traffic congestion costs the United States $300 billion per year in gas and time. Image: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Jeff Desjardins
Founder and editor, Visual Capitalist
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United States

Image: Visual Capitalist

No matter what city you live in, traffic is something you probably dread being stuck in.

Whether it is the slow-moving I-95 in New York City or the molasses-like trip from East Hollywood to Santa Monica in L.A., it’s estimated that traffic congestion costs the United States alone a whopping sum of $300 billion per year in gas and time.

The world's worst traffic

Which city has the ultimate distinction of having the world’s most horrific traffic?

Today’s infographic comes to us from INRIX via their Global Traffic Scorecard 2016, and it highlights the most congested cities around the globe. The report looks at average hours spent in congestion for 1,064 cities in 38 countries, as well as the percent of time spent in traffic.

Here’s a Top 10 list you don’t want to see your city on:

Image: Visual Capitalist

Taking the top spot was Los Angeles, where drivers spent an average 104 hours stuck in the city’s legendary traffic jams. The cost of this congestion, measured in wasted time and fuel, was $9.7 billion – a number that works out to $2,408 per driver!

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