Most of the world drives on the right, but 54 sovereign countries still use left-hand traffic. In these countries, vehicles normally keep to the left side of the road, and most locally sold cars have the steering wheel on the right.
Left-hand traffic should not be confused with a “left-hand-drive car”. The first term describes which side of the road you use; the second describes where the steering wheel is located. In a country with left-hand traffic, the steering wheel is usually on the right side of the vehicle.
Complete List of Countries That Drive on the Left
The list below includes sovereign states, not overseas territories or dependencies.
Europe — 4 countries: Cyprus, Ireland, Malta, United Kingdom.
Caribbean and North America — 10 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago.
South America — 2 countries: Guyana, Suriname.
Africa — 14 countries: Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Asia — 14 countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste.
Oceania — 10 countries: Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu.
This gives a total of 54 countries with left-hand traffic. A number of non-sovereign territories also keep left, including Hong Kong, Macau, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. They are not included in the 54-country total.
Why Did Left-Hand Traffic Appear?
There was no single moment when the world decided which side of the road to use. Long before cars existed, local customs developed around people walking, riding horses and moving carts. Archaeological evidence suggests that left-side movement may have existed in the Roman period, although historians cannot give one proven explanation for why it developed.
One common theory is connected with right-handed riders. Keeping left placed an approaching stranger on the rider’s right side, where the dominant hand was available for protection or handling a weapon. This explanation is plausible but should be treated as a historical theory rather than a proven origin story.
Britain eventually turned the custom into formal road rules. Requirements to keep left appeared on specific roads earlier, and the Highway Act of 1835 established the rule more generally across Great Britain and Ireland.
For a more detailed overview of how both systems developed, see the history of left- and right-hand traffic.
Why Do So Many Former British Colonies Drive on the Left?
The British Empire is the main reason left-hand traffic is still spread across several continents. Britain exported its road system along with its administration, railways and other infrastructure.
That legacy remains obvious today. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore and many Caribbean nations all continue to drive on the left. Changing sides after independence would have required redesigning roads, intersections, signs, buses and vehicle fleets, while also creating problems at the border with neighboring countries using the same system.
Colonial history does not explain every case, however. Japan and Thailand were never British colonies, yet both drive on the left. Indonesia also keeps left despite having been a Dutch colony, while Timor-Leste drives on the same side as neighboring Indonesia.
Why Does Most of the World Drive on the Right?
Right-hand traffic developed through a different mixture of local practice, political influence and transport technology. France favored right-side movement, and French influence helped spread that system across parts of continental Europe.
In North America, large horse-drawn freight wagons also encouraged right-side travel. Drivers often sat on the left rear horse so they could control the team with their right hand, making it easier to judge the distance from vehicles passing in the opposite direction when traffic kept right. Later, mass-produced cars such as the Ford Model T reinforced the combination of right-hand traffic and a steering wheel on the left.
Over time, countries also had a strong practical reason to match their neighbors. Border traffic is much simpler when vehicles do not have to change sides immediately after crossing into another country.
Countries Have Changed Sides
Traffic direction is not permanent. Several countries changed from left to right during the 20th century as road networks became more international.
Sweden is the famous example. On 3 September 1967, known as Dagen H, the country switched from left-hand to right-hand traffic. Iceland followed in 1968. Portugal, parts of Canada and several Central European countries had changed earlier.
A much rarer change happened in the opposite direction. Samoa switched from right to left on 7 September 2009, largely to make it easier to use and import right-hand-drive vehicles from nearby Australia and New Zealand. Samoa still drives on the left today.
What Drivers Should Expect in a Left-Hand-Traffic Country
If you normally drive on the right, the biggest adjustment is not driving along a straight road. Mistakes are more likely when turning at intersections, entering a roundabout or pulling out after stopping.
In a left-hand-traffic country, remember that you normally:
- keep to the left and overtake on the right;
- enter and travel around roundabouts according to the local clockwise traffic flow;
- sit on the right side in a typical locally configured rental car;
- change gear with your left hand in a manual right-hand-drive vehicle.
The pedals do not change position: the accelerator remains on the right, the brake in the middle, and the clutch on the left where fitted.
Extra concentration is particularly important during the first few kilometers and again after stops, when habit can make a driver automatically return to the side used at home.
