Interior ministry reports bike paths grew as rentals fell in 2025

South Korea's interior ministry said Tuesday the country's bicycle path network kept expanding last year while the number of people covered by local government bicycle insurance rose to about 47 million, or roughly 90 percent of the population.

Bicycle paths totaled 28,453 kilometers, up 2.5 percent from 2024 and 12.7 percent higher than 2021. Shared bicycle and pedestrian paths accounted for 74 percent of the total.

Public bicycles in operation rose 3.4 percent to 71,938 units, but rentals fell 10.3 percent to about 52 million from about 58 million a year earlier. Seoul accounted for 37 million rentals, or 71 percent of the total.

The number of local governments signing up for group bicycle insurance has climbed steadily, from 168 in 2023 to 191 in 2025. More than 200,000 people a year now complete safety training at the 80 training centers run by local governments.

Bicycle traffic accidents fell 6 percent to 5,235 from 5,571, but deaths rose to 85 from 75. About 66 percent of all accidents involved a failure to drive safely. Accidents caused by cyclists hitting vehicles declined 8.4 percent to 3,331, while those in which cyclists struck pedestrians edged up 0.5 percent to 1,685. Riders aged 20 and under were involved in 1,659 accidents, up 2.4 percent, while accidents involving riders aged 61 and older fell 8 percent to 1,659.

The country's 12 cross-country bicycle routes cover 1,857 kilometers and drew about 53,000 users in 2025, with cumulative users since 2012 exceeding 1.08 million.

"I hope these statistics will help local governments establish effective bicycle policies in line with the growing use of public bicycles and group insurance," said Jin Myeong-gi, head of the interior ministry's local innovation office. He added that the ministry will work to expand the cross-country routes and support safety training.