International tourism, number of arrivals in Bhutan
Bhutan: International tourism, number of arrivals was 29,800 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
International tourism, number of arrivals in Bhutan, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
In 2020, international tourism, number of arrivals in Bhutan stood at 29,800.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 90.6% on the previous year and down 27.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of arrivals in Bhutan peaked at 316,000 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4,800, in 1995.
Bhutan ranks 190th of 201 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International tourism, number of arrivals in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4,800 | — |
| 1996 | 5,200 | +8.3% |
| 1997 | 5,400 | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 6,200 | +14.8% |
| 1999 | 7,200 | +16.1% |
| 2000 | 7,600 | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 6,400 | -15.8% |
| 2002 | 5,600 | -12.5% |
| 2003 | 6,300 | +12.5% |
| 2004 | 9,200 | +46.0% |
| 2005 | 13,600 | +47.8% |
| 2006 | 17,300 | +27.2% |
| 2007 | 21,000 | +21.4% |
| 2008 | 28,000 | +33.3% |
| 2009 | 23,000 | -17.9% |
| 2010 | 41,000 | +78.3% |
| 2011 | 66,000 | +61.0% |
| 2012 | 105,000 | +59.1% |
| 2013 | 116,000 | +10.5% |
| 2014 | 133,000 | +14.7% |
| 2015 | 155,000 | +16.5% |
| 2016 | 210,000 | +35.5% |
| 2017 | 255,000 | +21.4% |
| 2018 | 274,000 | +7.5% |
| 2019 | 316,000 | +15.3% |
| 2020 | 29,800 | -90.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5,760 | 4,800 | 7,200 | 5 |
| 2000s | 13,800 | 5,600 | 28,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 167,100 | 41,000 | 316,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 29,800 | 29,800 | 29,800 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 187 Papua New Guinea 39,000 compare
- 188 Sao Tome and Principe 33,400 compare
- 189 New Caledonia 31,000 compare
- 191 Moldova 29,000 compare
- 192 Samoa 23,900 compare
- 193 Palau 18,400 compare
More private sector data for Bhutan
- Merchandise trade 83.3% (2025)
- Food imports 11.4% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 70.4% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 2.18 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 5.9% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 58.7% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 800.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,004 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2235 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 7.1 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of arrivals in Bhutan?
- International tourism, number of arrivals in Bhutan was 29,800 in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 316,000 in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,800 in 1995.
- How does Bhutan rank for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- Bhutan ranks 190th out of 201 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, number of arrivals rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan 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, number of arrivals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.