International tourism, number of arrivals in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: International tourism, number of arrivals was 152.57 million in 2019. ▲ Rising
International tourism, number of arrivals in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 2004–2019
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
In 2019, international tourism, number of arrivals in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan stood at 152.57 million. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is up 9.1% on the previous year and up 35.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of arrivals in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 152.57 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 80.63 million, in 2004.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 26th of 46 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
International tourism, number of arrivals in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 80.63 million | — |
| 2005 | 83.15 million | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 90.01 million | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 99.10 million | +10.1% |
| 2008 | 115.02 million | +16.1% |
| 2009 | 113.03 million | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 130.36 million | +15.3% |
| 2011 | 111.86 million | -14.2% |
| 2012 | 124.60 million | +11.4% |
| 2013 | 125.86 million | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 133.16 million | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 126.21 million | -5.2% |
| 2016 | 119.35 million | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 127.05 million | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 139.80 million | +10.0% |
| 2019 | 152.57 million | +9.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 96.82 million | 80.63 million | 115.02 million | 6 |
| 2010s | 129.08 million | 111.86 million | 152.57 million | 10 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- 23 Ireland 10.95 million compare
- 24 United States Virgin Islands 8.61 million compare
- 25 Kyrgyzstan 8.51 million compare
- 26 United Arab Emirates 8.08 million compare
- 27 Greece 7.41 million compare
- 28 Argentina 7.40 million compare
- 29 Netherlands 7.26 million compare
More private sector data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Merchandise trade 47.2% (2025)
- Food imports 11.7% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 60.4% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 1.70 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 4.1% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 23.8% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 1.79 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,163 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3487 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.5 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of arrivals in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- International tourism, number of arrivals in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 152.57 million in 2019, 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 152.57 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.63 million in 2004.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 26th out of 46 groups with data for 2019.
- Is international tourism, number of arrivals rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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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CSV · JSON — 16 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.