Maldives vs Sri Lanka: International tourism, number of arrivals
International tourism, number of arrivals over time
- Maldives
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Maldives currently reports 555,000 against 540,000 in Sri Lanka, a difference of 15,000.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 26 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Sri Lanka ahead.
Maldives ranks 122nd and Sri Lanka ranks 123rd of 201 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Maldives averaged higher in 2 and Sri Lanka in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Maldives | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 369,200 | 397,400 | 28,200 | Sri Lanka |
| 2000s | 560,600 | 557,700 | 2,900 | Maldives |
| 2010s | 1.21 million | 1.69 million | 480,400 | Sri Lanka |
| 2020s | 555,000 | 540,000 | 15,000 | Maldives |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher international tourism, number of arrivals, Maldives or Sri Lanka?
- Maldives, at 555,000 against 540,000 in Sri Lanka as of 2020.
- What is the difference in international tourism, number of arrivals between Maldives and Sri Lanka?
- 15,000, with Maldives ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Maldives and Sri Lanka?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
- How do Maldives and Sri Lanka rank globally for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- Maldives ranks 122nd and Sri Lanka ranks 123rd 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.
Individual pages
About this data
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.