Some of Canada’s biggest cities are among the world’s worst for traffic congestion, according to a new report. Though none cracked the top 10 or even the top 20.
The three worst traffic cities in the world were Istanbul in first, followed by Mexico City and Chicago, according to new data from Inrix, a company that analyzes traffic data from connected vehicles like cars, trucks and other sources.
Inrix compared data from road sensors and vehicles around the world from January to September 2025 and compared it to the same data from 2024 and 2023. It then ranked cities based on the total number of hours people lost while in traffic during peak commute periods compared to off-peak conditions relative to the size of the city and its population.
Drivers in Istanbul lost 118 hours in 2025 sitting in traffic, while drivers in Mexico City lost 108 hours. Drivers in Chicago lost 112 hours.
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Montreal was ranked the worst Canadian city at 28th worldwide, followed by Toronto in 34th place and Vancouver in 79th.
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Montreal’s score of 63 hours lost in 2025 is nine per cent higher compared to 2024 and 11 per cent higher than 2023.
Toronto congestion led to 59 hours lost, which is down three per cent from 2024 and six per cent less than 2023.
In Vancouver, 46 hours were lost in 2025, which is unchanged from last year, and six per cent less than 2023, according to Inrix.
The report says it takes into account travel times to and from a downtown core or what it describes as “major employment centers within an urban area” from surrounding commuting neighbourhoods.
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In Toronto, for instance, the report includes visuals which show some of the busiest commutes during peak periods into the downtown core starting from municipalities considered part of the Greater Toronto Area, including Mississauga, Markham, Pickering and Vaughan.
Similarly, in Vancouver, the report shows commute areas that include Surrey, Richmond, Burnaby and Coquitlam.
Last-mile speeds were also noted in the report, which measures how fast an average commuter travels for the last mile into a city’s core during peak periods in the morning. Inrix says this measurement provides “unique insights into each urban area’s unique commuting characteristics.”
Montreal’s last-mile speed was 11 miles per hour, Toronto was 10 and Vancouver was 19 in the 2025 report.
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Istanbul measured a last-mile speed of 13 miles per hour, Mexico City at 11 and Chicago at 9.
Inrix says traffic congestion happens when demand for using roads to travel exceeds the available road space. It adds that congestion leads to increased delays, or hours lost, which can result in added costs to commuters, businesses and governments.
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The report also says higher traffic volumes can be a sign of a stronger economy, but congestion can have a negative impact because of delays or hours lost.
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Hours lost in congestion can translate to higher costs for commuters and countries, meaning traffic jams come at a price, the report adds.
Inrix says in the United States, these delays cost an average commuter more than US$894 per year and the whole country more than $85 billion, based on the value of time lost in traffic jams. Similar data for Canada was not made available in the report.
According to Statistics Canada, as of May 2025, 80.9 per cent of commuters travelled to work by car, truck or van, which is down from 81.5 per cent in 2024 and the third straight decline since 2022, when it was 84.2 per cent.
The agency also said Toronto had the longest average commute of about 35 minutes, which was up 1.6 minutes from a year earlier, while average times for Vancouver and Montreal each clocked in at roughly 30 minutes.
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