America has long been known for its love affair with the car, but when it comes to car ownership rates, the U.S. sits in 3rd place.
The average American owns 0.797 of a car, or 797 cars per 1000 people.
Any guesses as to which nations’ love of the motor vehicle outstrips even that of the home of Motor City?
Maybe Germany? Mercedes, BMW, Audi, the speed limitless Autobahn, the epitome of Vorsprung durch Technik?
Bzzzzt!!! Wrong! Guess again. Germany sits down in 21st place with 572 cars per 1000 people (0.57 per person).
How about Italy? Mixing sex, red paint and fast, fast cars to produce every school boy’s dream, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati?
Bzzzzt!!! Wrong again! Italy comes in slightly above Guam in 10th place with 679 cars per 1000 people (0.68 per person).
Ok last guess. Japan maybe? Builders of the everlasting Toyota, churning out 8 million cars per year?
Bzzzzt!!! Sorry, wrong again! 591 cars per 1000 people (0.59 per person) leaves Japan in 17th position.
So lets reveal our winners…
In second place, with 899 cars per 1000 people (0.89 per person) is…
Monaco! The little principality on the French Riviera, home to playboys, F1 drivers, tax havens and casinos. Almost 1 car for every man, woman and child, that’s just how Monaco rolls.
And now, we have our winner, drumroll please…
San Marino! Perpetual soccer whipping boys, an enclaved micro-state engulfed by the Italian mainland, holding its own as one of the worlds richest countries, with zero debt, a budget surplus and a whopping 1263 cars per 1000 people (1.26 per person).
At the other end of the table in joint 167th place we have São Tomé and Príncipe, a small island in the Gulf of Guinea, and Togo, located on the West African coast.
Both countries weigh in with just 2 cars per 1000 people…
I wonder if they carpool?