International tourism, number of arrivals in Malaysia
Malaysia: International tourism, number of arrivals was 4.33 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
International tourism, number of arrivals in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia is 4.33 million, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 83.4% on the previous year and down 82.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of arrivals in Malaysia peaked at 27.44 million in 2014 and was at its lowest, 4.33 million, in 2020.
Malaysia ranks 40th of 201 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
International tourism, number of arrivals in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 7.47 million | — |
| 1996 | 7.14 million | -4.4% |
| 1997 | 6.21 million | -13.0% |
| 1998 | 5.55 million | -10.6% |
| 1999 | 7.93 million | +42.9% |
| 2000 | 10.22 million | +28.9% |
| 2001 | 12.78 million | +25.0% |
| 2002 | 13.29 million | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 10.58 million | -20.4% |
| 2004 | 15.70 million | +48.5% |
| 2005 | 16.43 million | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 17.55 million | +6.8% |
| 2007 | 20.97 million | +19.5% |
| 2008 | 22.05 million | +5.1% |
| 2009 | 23.65 million | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 24.58 million | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 24.71 million | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 25.03 million | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 25.71 million | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 27.44 million | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 25.72 million | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 26.76 million | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 25.95 million | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 25.83 million | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 26.10 million | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 4.33 million | -83.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.86 million | 5.55 million | 7.93 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 16.32 million | 10.22 million | 23.65 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.78 million | 24.58 million | 27.44 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.33 million | 4.33 million | 4.33 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More private sector data for Malaysia
- Merchandise trade 151.7% (2025)
- Food imports 8.3% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 72.0% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 340.44 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 10.4% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 72.7% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 376.04 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 10,452 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7964 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 13.69 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of arrivals in Malaysia?
- International tourism, number of arrivals in Malaysia was 4.33 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 27.44 million in 2014.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.33 million in 2020.
- How does Malaysia rank for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- Malaysia ranks 40th out of 201 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, number of arrivals rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 82.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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
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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.