Italy vs United States: International tourism, number of arrivals

Italy
38.42 million
in 2020
United States
45.04 million
in 2020
Italy rank
6th
United States rank
4th

International tourism, number of arrivals over time

  • Italy
  • United States
50.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M199520072020

How they compare

United States currently reports 45.04 million against 38.42 million in Italy, a difference of 6.62 million.

That makes United States's figure about 1.2 times Italy's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 26 shared years of data; in 1995 it was United States ahead.

Italy ranks 6th and United States ranks 4th of 201 countries.

United States has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Italy United States Difference Ahead
1990s 58.31 million 79.12 million 20.81 million United States
2000s 64.70 million 110.96 million 46.26 million United States
2010s 82.44 million 170.00 million 87.56 million United States
2020s 38.42 million 45.04 million 6.62 million United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher international tourism, number of arrivals, Italy or United States?
United States, at 45.04 million against 38.42 million in Italy as of 2020.
What is the difference in international tourism, number of arrivals between Italy and United States?
6.62 million, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and United States?
26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
How do Italy and United States rank globally for international tourism, number of arrivals?
Italy ranks 6th and United States ranks 4th of 201 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as International tourism, number of arrivals. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Italy vs United States: International tourism, number of arrivals. Statizoid, drawing on Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://private-sector.statizoid.com/compare/international-tourism-number-of-arrivals/italy/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
International tourism, number of arrivals
Source
Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
247 places, 5,775 data points, 1995–2020
Last refreshed

International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.