International tourism, number of arrivals in Maldives
Maldives: International tourism, number of arrivals was 555,000 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
International tourism, number of arrivals in Maldives, 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 Maldives is 555,000, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 67.4% on the previous year and down 29.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of arrivals in Maldives peaked at 1.70 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 315,000, in 1995.
That places Maldives 122nd out of 201 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International tourism, number of arrivals in Maldives, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 315,000 | — |
| 1996 | 339,000 | +7.6% |
| 1997 | 366,000 | +8.0% |
| 1998 | 396,000 | +8.2% |
| 1999 | 430,000 | +8.6% |
| 2000 | 467,000 | +8.6% |
| 2001 | 461,000 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 485,000 | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 564,000 | +16.3% |
| 2004 | 617,000 | +9.4% |
| 2005 | 395,000 | -36.0% |
| 2006 | 602,000 | +52.4% |
| 2007 | 676,000 | +12.3% |
| 2008 | 683,000 | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 656,000 | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 792,000 | +20.7% |
| 2011 | 931,000 | +17.6% |
| 2012 | 958,000 | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 1.12 million | +17.4% |
| 2014 | 1.21 million | +7.1% |
| 2015 | 1.23 million | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 1.29 million | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 1.39 million | +8.1% |
| 2018 | 1.48 million | +6.8% |
| 2019 | 1.70 million | +14.8% |
| 2020 | 555,000 | -67.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 369,200 | 315,000 | 430,000 | 5 |
| 2000s | 560,600 | 395,000 | 683,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.21 million | 792,000 | 1.70 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 555,000 | 555,000 | 555,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More private sector data for Maldives
- Merchandise trade 52.5% (2025)
- Food imports 21.2% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 53.7% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 3.62 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 94.4% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 1.2% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 444.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 838.25 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0574 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 15.93 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of arrivals in Maldives?
- International tourism, number of arrivals in Maldives was 555,000 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 Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 1.70 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 315,000 in 1995.
- How does Maldives rank for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- Maldives ranks 122nd out of 201 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, number of arrivals rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Maldives 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.
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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.