International tourism, expenditures (current US$) in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: International tourism, expenditures (current US$) was 9.07 billion current US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising
International tourism, expenditures in Saudi Arabia, 2002–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 9.07 billion current US$ for international tourism, expenditures in 2020.
The figure is down 44.8% on the previous year and down 58.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, expenditures in Saudi Arabia peaked at 25.14 billion current US$ in 2014 and was at its lowest, 4.17 billion current US$, in 2003.
That places Saudi Arabia 19th out of 192 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
International tourism, expenditures (current US$) in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 7.37 billion current US$ | — |
| 2003 | 4.17 billion current US$ | -43.5% |
| 2007 | 21.03 billion current US$ | +404.9% |
| 2008 | 16.00 billion current US$ | -23.9% |
| 2009 | 21.31 billion current US$ | +33.2% |
| 2010 | 22.08 billion current US$ | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 18.20 billion current US$ | -17.5% |
| 2012 | 17.99 billion current US$ | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 18.65 billion current US$ | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 25.14 billion current US$ | +34.8% |
| 2015 | 20.37 billion current US$ | -19.0% |
| 2016 | 17.67 billion current US$ | -13.2% |
| 2017 | 19.07 billion current US$ | +7.9% |
| 2018 | 17.94 billion current US$ | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 16.41 billion current US$ | -8.5% |
| 2020 | 9.07 billion current US$ | -44.8% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 9.07 billion current US$ is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.33 billion current US$, 6.8× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 9.07 billion current US$ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.51 billion current US$, 6.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, expenditures (current US$) in Saudi Arabia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +404.9% | 4.17 billion current US$ | 21.03 billion current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.98 billion current US$ | 4.17 billion current US$ | 21.31 billion current US$ | 5 |
| 2010s | 19.35 billion current US$ | 16.41 billion current US$ | 25.14 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.07 billion current US$ | 9.07 billion current US$ | 9.07 billion current US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More private sector data for Saudi Arabia
- Merchandise trade 44.2% (2025)
- Food imports 12.3% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 72.1% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 254.06 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 122.08 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 2.2% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 16.7% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 310.67 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 66.92 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 8,403 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, expenditures in Saudi Arabia?
- International tourism, expenditures in Saudi Arabia was 9.07 billion current US$ in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, expenditures recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 25.14 billion current US$ in 2014.
- What is the lowest international tourism, expenditures recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.17 billion current US$ in 2003.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for international tourism, expenditures?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 19th out of 192 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, expenditures rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 58.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, expenditures (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
International tourism expenditures are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries, including payments to foreign carriers for international transport. These expenditures may include those by residents traveling abroad as same-day visitors, except in cases where these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include expenditures for passenger transport items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.