The number of cars registered in the country surpassed the 18-million mark for the first time last month.

According to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, as of January this year there were some 18.04 million registered vehicles in the country, with the number growing by some 580,000 units per year on average over the past 10 years.

The ministry forecasts the figure to exceed 20 million by 2014.

Meanwhile, the number of vehicles per individual has also jumped from one for 4.5 persons in 1997 to one for 2.8 this year.