We have put together some findings regarding driving licence statistics in the UK. The majority of the data has been sourced from data.gov.uk. These statistics are true as of September 2020.

The data we explored does not represent the number of active drivers in the UK; it is data regarding the number of licence holders. Of course, some of these holders may not currently own or drive a car. It is also worth noting that certain driving licence categories can be issued to 15-year-olds up to two months before their 16th birthday.

Young driver’s licence statistics

Very few people aged 16 and under have acquired a full driving licence; the numbers are also for provisional licence holders. There is a sharp increase in provisional licences for 17-year-olds and onwards.

We know that the number of provisional licence holders from ages 17-21 among males and females is almost identical. The difference widens when it comes to full licences, as many more males own a full licence than females.

In terms of provisional licences, the ages of 17-21 are where you will see the higher numbers. Beyond the age of 21, more and more people will successfully change their provisional licence into a full licence, so the numbers for provisional licences begin to decrease as the age goes up.

Statics for driving licences from ages 22-30

The total number of people aged 22 with a provisional licence is 266,534, which is a decrease in the number of young drivers. This number continues to decrease at every age above this.

The number of provisional licence holders has been steadily decreasing as age increases. It is interesting to note that there is almost no difference between males and females. The gap just begins to widen from the ages of 28 to 30, as there is a slightly higher number of female provisional licence holders. Statistically speaking, while the gap is not huge, there is a greater number of males in general who own a full licence. This could explain why the number of provisional licences is higher in females.

The total number of full licences held for 22-year-olds is 422,515, whereas the total number of full licences held for 30-year-olds is 672,085. This is a huge increase.

Statistics for licences held by 31-70 year olds. 

The vast majority of licences held belong to people in the 48-58 age range. Specifically, the most popular age currently for holding a full licence is 55. 878,656 people in the UK aged 55 own a full licence, 470,867 of whom are male and 407,789 female.

The same pattern emerges again for male and female provisional licence holders. They both dip in numbers in the mid 40’s range and rise again in the 50s before dropping sharply. This shows that gender appears to not affect the pattern. Despite the same pattern, there is still a larger number of females who own provisional licences. There are only 2,263 70-year-olds in the UK who own a provisional licence: 1,139 males and 1,124 females.

There are 442,276 70-year-olds who own a full licence in the UK. That is a little more than half of the 55-year-olds who own a full licence.

Driving licence statistics in the over 70’s

We will now look at driving licence statistics from ages 71-108. The reason for the 108 is that one person aged 108 owns a full licence in the UK. This is the oldest licence holder. 108 is the only age where there are more female owners of the full licence than males, and there is one holder.

The oldest age for owning a provisional licence is 106, as there are two.

You might have expected it, but the number of provisional licence holders above the age of 71 has decreased dramatically. There are only 15,225 provisional licence holders overall, for both males and females between these ages.

There are still a huge number of over-70s who own a full licence, including both males and females. Together, there are 4,988,402.

Minimum driving age by country

Now that we have looked at driving licence statistics in the UK we can look at some information from around the world.

In the UK you can legally hold a licence at 17. But how does this differ in countries around the world? There is not too much of a difference: the age is most commonly set at 18 around the world, but we will take a look at some of the different continents’ rules regarding the minimum driving age.

Africa

Most countries in Africa have the minimum age set at 18 but there are a few exceptions. Cameroon, Zambia and Zimbabwe have it set at 16. There may be varying rules around holding a restricted licence in each country.

North America

You can get a restricted licence at the age 16-17, this varies between states. A full licence will vary between 17-18.

In Mexico and Canada you can get a licence much younger. In Mexico you can drive at 15 with parental supervision or 16 with parental agreement. Without the supervision or agreement you can drive at 18.

Most provinces in Canada the legal age is 16, within the graduated licensing program (GLP). However in Yukon, Nunavut and the northwest territories the age is 15 with GLP. Even younger still, in Alberta the age is 14 with GLP.

Central America

Most countries here have a minimum driving age of 18, with a few exceptions. You can drive at the age of 16 with parental approval in Guatemala and Panama. In El Salvador the minimum age is 15.

South America

It is fairly straightforward in South America. The minimum age is either 17 or 18, depending on the country.

Caribbean

Again, most countries in the Caribbean have a minimum driving age of 17 or 18. However, there are three countries that have a minimum driving age of 16. These countries are the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. The latter two require a learners permit.

Middle East

Many countries in the Middle East have different ages for driving cars and motorcycles. Most countries have a minimum age for driving cars at 18 and motorcycles at 16.

South Asia

All countries, bar one, have a minimum driving age of 18. In Sri Lanka, the driving age is 17.

East Asia

All countries have a minimum driving age of 18. In Japan, you are able to drive motorcycles under 400cc at the age of 16.

South East Asia

The minimum age here varies from 17 to 18, depending on the country. In Vietnam and Malaysia, you can drive a motorcycle at 16.

Oceania

The majority of the countries here have a driving age of 17 or 18. In American Samoa, Guam and New Zealand you can drive at 16, with supervision. More specifically, there is a minimum driving age of 15 years and 6 months in Northern Mariana Islands.

Europe

There are many countries in Europe and the majority of them have a minimum driving age of 17 or 18, but there are some exceptions, as you can see below. Many countries also allow you to drive a moped at the age of 16;

• Czech Republic: You can drive a moped at 15

• Denmark: You can drive a moped at 15

• Estonia: You can drive a moped at 14 and a car at 16 with supervision.

• Finland: You can drive a moped or a tractor at 15

• France: With supervision, you can drive a car at 15.

• Iceland: You can drive a car at 16 with supervision.

• Latvia: You can drive a moped at 14 and a car at 16. If you drive a car at 16, though, do you need to be supervised by a person who has held a category B licence for at least 3 years?

• Slovenia: You can drive a car at 16 with supervision.

• Spain: You can drive a moped at 15

• Sweden: You can drive a moped or a tractor at 15.

• Isle of Man: The minimum driving age is 16.