How Winnipeg ranks among the country’s most traffic congested cities

If it feels like it’s taking long and longer to get home from work, you’re not imagining it.

If you’ve ever felt like the amount of time you’ve spent stuck in traffic in Winnipeg has gotten worse, you’re not alone.

The TomTom Traffic Index has released its 2025 findings, and it places Manitoba’s capital as the sixth most congested city in Canada and 23rd most congested in North America.

The index, which is based on mobility data, measures congestion levels, average speeds, and travel times (per mile), across roads globally.

The data shows that Winnipeggers lost on average of almost 4 days, or 94 hours, in traffic last year.

Crowding on the road increased by 0.3 per cent compared to 2024, the index found.

It also took Winnipeggers on average 28 seconds longer to get to their destination – with the average travel time being 24 minutes for a 10-kilometre drive.

The evening commute also topped the charts as the worst time to drive, with rush hour traffic averaging 88.8 per cent congestion – as opposed to 50.6 per cent during the morning commute.

According to the traffic index, Dec. 19 was the worst day of the year to be out on the road – with an 84 per cent congestion level

Meanwhile, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said he wasn’t surprised by the city’s high ranking.

“I would say it seems fairly appropriate and accurate. We’re about the sixth largest city in Canada. We had near record investment in road construction, which means there is a lot of road construction throughout the spring, summer and fall months, and we’ve seen significant growth, population growth, across the last several years. So I think all of those factors combined would land us in about the sixth spot.”

The index also ranks Winnipeg as the 213th most congested city for traffic in the world, with Mexico City, Bengaluru, and Dublin rounding out the top three spots.