International tourism, expenditures for travel items (current US$) in Iran
Iran: International tourism, expenditures for travel items (current US$) was 8.70 billion current US$ in 2018. ◆ Volatile
International tourism, expenditures for travel items in Iran, 1995–2018
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in current US$.
Analysis
In 2018, international tourism, expenditures for travel items in Iran stood at 8.70 billion current US$.
That represents a change of down 24.4% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, expenditures for travel items in Iran peaked at 11.51 billion current US$ in 2017 and was at its lowest, 153.00 million current US$, in 1998.
Iran ranks 14th of 191 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International tourism, expenditures for travel items (current US$) in Iran, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 241.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1996 | 258.00 million current US$ | +7.1% |
| 1997 | 382.00 million current US$ | +48.1% |
| 1998 | 153.00 million current US$ | -59.9% |
| 1999 | 632.00 million current US$ | +313.1% |
| 2000 | 668.00 million current US$ | +5.7% |
| 2001 | 708.00 million current US$ | +6.0% |
| 2002 | 3.75 billion current US$ | +429.7% |
| 2003 | 3.84 billion current US$ | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 4.09 billion current US$ | +6.5% |
| 2005 | 3.72 billion current US$ | -9.0% |
| 2006 | 4.68 billion current US$ | +25.8% |
| 2007 | 6.81 billion current US$ | +45.4% |
| 2008 | 7.57 billion current US$ | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 7.80 billion current US$ | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 9.65 billion current US$ | +23.7% |
| 2011 | 9.78 billion current US$ | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 7.83 billion current US$ | -19.9% |
| 2013 | 8.84 billion current US$ | +13.0% |
| 2014 | 9.45 billion current US$ | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 8.99 billion current US$ | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 10.23 billion current US$ | +13.8% |
| 2017 | 11.51 billion current US$ | +12.4% |
| 2018 | 8.70 billion current US$ | -24.4% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 8.70 billion current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 266.00 million current US$, 32.7× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Iran's 8.70 billion current US$ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.07 billion current US$, 8.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, expenditures for travel items (current US$) in Iran 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +429.7% | 708.00 million current US$ | 3.75 billion current US$ |
| 1999 | +313.1% | 153.00 million current US$ | 632.00 million current US$ |
| 1998 | -59.9% | 382.00 million current US$ | 153.00 million current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 333.20 million current US$ | 153.00 million current US$ | 632.00 million current US$ | 5 |
| 2000s | 4.36 billion current US$ | 668.00 million current US$ | 7.80 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.44 billion current US$ | 7.83 billion current US$ | 11.51 billion current US$ | 9 |
Countries ranked near Iran
- 11 Switzerland 9.55 billion current US$ compare
- 12 Russia 9.14 billion current US$ compare
- 13 Spain 8.74 billion current US$ compare
- 15 Saudi Arabia 8.53 billion current US$ compare
- 16 Netherlands 7.03 billion current US$ compare
- 17 Singapore 6.83 billion current US$ compare
More private sector data for Iran
- Merchandise trade 49.3% (2025)
- Food imports 26.1% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 57.5% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 65.63 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 1.58 billion current US$ (2000)
- Food exports 5.6% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 21.4% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 113.22 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 1.36 billion current US$ (2000)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,225 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, expenditures for travel items in Iran?
- International tourism, expenditures for travel items in Iran was 8.70 billion current US$ in 2018, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, expenditures for travel items recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 11.51 billion current US$ in 2017.
- What is the lowest international tourism, expenditures for travel items recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 153.00 million current US$ in 1998.
- How does Iran rank for international tourism, expenditures for travel items?
- Iran ranks 14th out of 191 countries with data for 2018.
- Is international tourism, expenditures for travel items rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran 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 for travel items (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
International tourism expenditures are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries. The goods and services are purchased by, or on behalf of, the traveler or provided, without a quid pro quo, for the traveler to use or give away. These may include expenditures by residents traveling abroad as same-day visitors, except in cases where these are so important as to justify a separate classification. Excluded is the international carriage of travelers, which is covered in passenger travel items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.