Cape Town ranks sixth worst city for traffic congestion worldwide
Image: Pinel Motswagole (CC‑BY‑SA 4.0)
The latest INRIX 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard has named Cape Town as the sixth most congested city in the world. According to the report, South African drivers are stuck in traffic for about 96 hours a year – roughly four days.
The study covered 942 cities around the globe. While Cape Town’s overall traffic volume has only risen by 2 % since 2024, the real problem, congestion, has jumped 16 % from 2023. In contrast, traffic in places like London, Paris and Los Angeles has shown some improvement.
The report also highlights that the average speed into Cape Town’s central business district during the morning rush is a mere 17 km/h – a stark illustration of how quickly the city’s traffic is deteriorating.
