TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Dutch auto-navigation manufacturer TomTom released its annual global traffic index report for 2023 this week.

The report ranks several Taiwanese cities among the worst in the world for traffic congestion in metropolitan areas. Taichung and Kaohsiung made the index’s top 10 list, at sixth place and eighth place respectively, for the longest average travel time per 10 km trip.

In Taichung, the average 10 km trip can be expected to take 22 minutes and 30 seconds on average, with Kaohsiung only slightly better with a travel time of 22 minutes and 20 seconds. During rush hour in both cities, drivers can expect to travel only about 24 kph, which amounts to between 54 and 58 hours lost due to rush hour traffic each year, per data from TomTom.

Taipei’s metro traffic was not ranked worse than Taiwan’s second- and third-largest metropolitan areas, though it was not too far behind. The city ranked No. 17 for the world’s worst traffic conditions, a rank it retained from the 2022 TomTom Traffic Index.

The TomTom Traffic Index used data from the company’s navigation instruments, compiled from drivers in 357 cities across 55 nations. Other Taiwanese cities included in the index were Tainan (No. 35) and Taoyuan (No. 127).

The annual traffic index contains two separate rankings, one for the greater metropolitan region, and another for traffic within a city’s downtown area. Manila, the capital of the Philippines, ranks the worst in the world for traffic in a city’s greater metropolitan area, while London, England ranked the worst for traffic in a city’s central districts.

For traffic congestion affecting downtown areas of Taiwan's cities, Taichung ranked as No. 11 for worst traffic in the world, followed by Kaohsiung at No. 17. Downtown traffic in Tainan (No. 40) was rated worse than downtown traffic in Taipei (No. 43). Taoyuan’s downtown traffic congestion rating was 210th out of 357.