International tourism, number of arrivals in Macao
Macao: International tourism, number of arrivals was 5.90 million in 2020. ◆ Volatile
International tourism, number of arrivals in Macao, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
The most recent figure for international tourism, number of arrivals in Macao is 5.90 million, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 85.0% on the previous year and down 76.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of arrivals in Macao peaked at 39.41 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 5.90 million, in 2020.
Macao ranks 33rd of 201 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International tourism, number of arrivals in Macao, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 7.75 million | — |
| 1996 | 8.15 million | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 7.00 million | -14.1% |
| 1998 | 6.95 million | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 7.44 million | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 9.16 million | +23.1% |
| 2001 | 10.28 million | +12.2% |
| 2002 | 11.53 million | +12.2% |
| 2003 | 11.89 million | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 16.67 million | +40.3% |
| 2005 | 18.71 million | +12.2% |
| 2006 | 22.00 million | +17.6% |
| 2007 | 27.00 million | +22.8% |
| 2008 | 22.93 million | -15.1% |
| 2009 | 21.75 million | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 24.96 million | +14.8% |
| 2011 | 28.00 million | +12.2% |
| 2012 | 28.08 million | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 29.32 million | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 31.53 million | +7.5% |
| 2015 | 30.71 million | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 30.95 million | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 32.61 million | +5.4% |
| 2018 | 35.80 million | +9.8% |
| 2019 | 39.41 million | +10.1% |
| 2020 | 5.90 million | -85.0% |
Macao compared with similar countries
- Macao's 5.90 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.16 million, 2.7× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Macao's 5.90 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 487,000, 12.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, number of arrivals in Macao 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -85.0% | 39.41 million | 5.90 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.46 million | 6.95 million | 8.15 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 17.19 million | 9.16 million | 27.00 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.14 million | 24.96 million | 39.41 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.90 million | 5.90 million | 5.90 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Macao
More private sector data for Macao
- Merchandise trade 33.2% (2025)
- Food imports 18.3% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 70.3% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 15.54 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 7.02 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 37.2% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 5.9% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 1.73 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 43.56 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,528 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of arrivals in Macao?
- International tourism, number of arrivals in Macao was 5.90 million 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 Macao?
- The highest recorded value was 39.41 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Macao?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.90 million in 2020.
- How does Macao rank for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- Macao ranks 33rd out of 201 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, number of arrivals rising or falling in Macao?
- Over the last ten years it is down 76.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Macao 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.