Source: Worldwatch Institute.

World Automobile Production and Fleet, 1965-2004

The last decades have experienced a growing level of motorization, as reflected by the production of automobiles. 80% of the world's automobiles are used in developed countries, but the share of developing countries is growing rapidly. Although car production has a behavior linked with economic cycles of growth and recession, there is a continuous growth of the fleet with an annual car production of about 34-40 million vehicles in the 1990s and well above 40 million in the 2000s. There were over 550 million automobiles in circulation in 2001, an increase of more than 100 million since 1991. This takes into consideration cars that are put out of circulation because of wear and tear. Globally, there are on average 12 people for every car in circulation. A significant share of the growth of car production is attributed to the motorization of developing countries, especially in East and Southeast Asia. In 2003, more than 2 million cars were sold in China alone.