Countries That Drive on the Left
54 of the world's 195 countries drive on the left, from the United Kingdom and Ireland to Japan, India, Australia and much of southern and eastern Africa. Most of them were once British colonies, but not all: Japan, Thailand, Nepal and Indonesia drive on the left too.
The 54 countries, by continent
Europe (4)
Cyprus
Ireland
Malta
United Kingdom
Asia (14)
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Africa (14)
Botswana
Eswatini
Kenya
Lesotho
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Seychelles
South Africa
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
North America and the Caribbean (10)
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)
Guyana
Suriname
Oceania (10)
Australia
Fiji
Kiribati
Nauru
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Source: Wikipedia, "Left- and right-hand traffic", checked 1 November 2026.
Can you pick them all?
A grid of 24 countries: tap every one that drives on the left, then press Done.
Drives on the left: pick them all
Right picks score, wrong ones cost a point. Try sudden death for one wrong pick and out.
Tap every country that matches, then press Done.
More topics: the EU, island countries, monarchies and more →
Questions about driving on the left
How many countries drive on the left?+
54 of the 195 countries drive on the left. Counting territories such as Hong Kong, Macau and the Falkland Islands, about 75 countries and territories do. Together they have about a third of the world's people, a quarter of its roads and a sixth of its land.
Which countries in Europe drive on the left?+
Four: the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus. The rest of Europe drives on the right.
Why do some countries drive on the left?+
Nobody knows for sure why some places settled on the left. In Britain, the London Bridge Act of 1756 may be the first law that required it, and most countries that were once British colonies kept driving on the left. Japan was never part of the British Empire, but has driven on the left since the Edo period.
Has a country ever switched sides?+
Yes. Sweden switched from the left to the right on 3 September 1967, a day known as Dagen H. Samoa went the other way and switched to the left in September 2009, so it could use right-hand-drive cars from Australia and New Zealand.
Does the United States drive on the left?+
No, the United States and Canada drive on the right. In the Americas, the countries that drive on the left are Guyana, Suriname and most of the Caribbean island nations, such as Jamaica, the Bahamas and Barbados.