London’s traffic has been officially ranked as the worst in the world - ahead of Paris, New York and Moscow

As Londoners we have a lot to feel proud of our city for, with its thriving cultural scene, its world famous food and drink industry and our rich multicultural demography.

However our air pollution and heavily congested roads are a sore point for us, and now to throw salt in those wounds our city has just been ranked as having the worst traffic in the world.

According to data from Inrix, drivers spend more time stuck on gridlocked streets in London than in any other city on the planet.

Last year, motorists in the capital spent 148 hours each stuck in traffic, with the average cost of congestion £980 per driver over the year.

The reasoning behind London’s congestion was attributed to the large number of jobs in London and people commuting.

Inrix’s Global Traffic Scorecard takes into account the unique commuting patterns of each city, measuring collision trends, travel delays and average last-mile speeds.

In the survey of congestion in more than 1,000 cities in 50 countries, London came top, ahead of Paris, Brussels, Moscow and Rome.

Within the UK, Cambridge came second with Exeter, Cheltenham and Bristol next.

See below the top 10 most congested cities in the world according to Inrix (these rankings take more into account than just hours lost in congestion).

Top 10 most congested cities in the world

1. London - 148 hours
2. Paris - 140 hours
3. Brussels - 134 hours
4. Moscow - 108 hours
5. New York City - 102 hours
6. Chicago - 104 hours
7. Rome - 107 hours
8. Bogota - 94 hours
9. Palermo - 109 hours
10. Istanbul - 88 hours

(Hours lost in congestion in 2021)