Three Canadian cities rank among the worst in the world for traffic
If you’re sitting in your car on the way to work, thinking that traffic is the worst, a new ranking will likely validate your frustrations if you live in a major Canadian city.
Inrix, a transportation analytics company, released its 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard, which provides three years of transportation data that analyzes “mobility within the world’s most congested areas.”
It analyzed travel data across seven continents, 36 countries and over 900 cities to provide travel delay comparisons, cost of congestion to drivers and regions, and commuting trends.
“Traffic congestion occurs when demand for roadway travel exceeds the supply of roadways. As vehicular traffic builds, drivers, freight movers, and bus riders lose time and spend fuel unproductively,” reads the report.
Three Canadian spots made the top 100 worst traffic cities in the world.
Montreal traffic jam on Notre Dame street (meunierd/Shutterstock)
Montreal lands in 28th place overall, but is in first place for worst congestion in Canada. According to Inrix, drivers in Montreal have lost 63 hours stuck in traffic this year, with the last mile speeds heading into downtown during the morning commute at 11 mph (18 km per hour).
Toronto traffic entering Highway 401 (JohnInNorthYork/Shutterstock)
Toronto isn’t far behind in 34th place overall, but in second place for having the worst congestion in Canada. Torontonians have lost 59 hours stuck in congestion this year. The slowest speed heading into downtown during the morning commute in 2025 was 10 mph (16 km per hour).
Rush hour in Vancouver (StoneMonkeyswk/Shutterstock)
Vancouver took 59th place overall, ranking as the third-worst city in Canada for congestion. According to Inrix, drivers in Vancouver lost 46 hours in congestion, with the last mile speeds heading into downtown during the morning commute at 19 mph (30 km per hour).
Drivers in Calgary and Edmonton have it the best in Canada when it comes to congestion. Calgary took 397th place, with 24 hours lost in congestion, while Edmonton sits in 664th place with only 16 hours lost in congestion.
These Canadian stats aren’t so bad when you compare them to the top 10 worst traffic cities in the world.
Istanbul, Turkey, placed first with a staggering 118 hours lost in congestion, while Chicago followed closely behind in second place with 112 hours lost. Mexico City rounds out the top three, with drivers losing 108 hours stuck in traffic.
Inrix
“In addition to lost time, negative externalities like freight delay, inflationary pressure, and environmental impact are generally exacerbated due to traffic congestion,” reads the report. “While not measured in this report, these externalities decrease our quality of life.”
Check out the full report.