China has 244 million car drivers, world's most

China has 244 million people licensed to drive cars, the largest number worldwide, the government said today.
At present, there are 264 million civil motor vehicles in use, including 154 million automobiles, next only to the US, according to China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS).
It says that China accounts for 15 per cent of all automobiles in use in the world, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
In addition, 22 per cent of Chinese people have driving licenses, and the number of Chinese drivers will continue to surge in the next few years, the MPS said.
In the last 10 years, the number of women drivers increased 11 times, while that of male drivers only rose 7.4 times. The number of people licensed to drive a car above 60 rose 38 times.

According to international convention, having 20 cars for every hundred families means a country is beginning an auto society.

In China, every hundred families on average have 25 private cars, and in big cities, the number for every hundred households has exceeded 40, including Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu.
The ability to drive has now become a life skill instead of an occupation, the MPS said.
In Beijing, to acquire a driving license also means being qualified for car plate lottery, which started in 2011.
Some senior people gain driving licenses only to increase the probability for their offspring to get car plates.