International tourism, number of arrivals in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: International tourism, number of arrivals was 11.10 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
International tourism, number of arrivals in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom stood at 11.10 million. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 72.8% on the previous year and down 63.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of arrivals in United Kingdom peaked at 41.08 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 11.10 million, in 2020.
United Kingdom ranks 22nd 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 United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 23.54 million | — |
| 1996 | 25.16 million | +6.9% |
| 1997 | 25.52 million | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 25.75 million | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 25.39 million | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 25.21 million | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 22.84 million | -9.4% |
| 2002 | 24.18 million | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 24.71 million | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 27.75 million | +12.3% |
| 2005 | 29.97 million | +8.0% |
| 2006 | 32.71 million | +9.2% |
| 2007 | 32.78 million | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 31.89 million | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 31.07 million | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 30.40 million | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 31.89 million | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 32.22 million | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 33.57 million | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 35.34 million | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 36.79 million | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 39.13 million | +6.4% |
| 2017 | 41.08 million | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 40.28 million | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 40.86 million | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 11.10 million | -72.8% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 11.10 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.16 million, 5.1× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 11.10 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.60 million, 3.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, number of arrivals in United Kingdom 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 | -72.8% | 40.86 million | 11.10 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.07 million | 23.54 million | 25.75 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 28.31 million | 22.84 million | 32.78 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.16 million | 30.40 million | 41.08 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.10 million | 11.10 million | 11.10 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 19 Egypt 13.03 million compare
- 20 Germany 12.45 million compare
- 21 Switzerland 11.82 million compare
- 23 Ireland 10.95 million compare
- 24 United States Virgin Islands 8.61 million compare
- 25 Kyrgyzstan 8.51 million compare
More private sector data for United Kingdom
- Merchandise trade 37.6% (2025)
- Food imports 9.8% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 56.7% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 948.64 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 448.00 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 6.7% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 59.7% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 555.83 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 714.60 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 7,999 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of arrivals in United Kingdom?
- International tourism, number of arrivals in United Kingdom was 11.10 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 41.08 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.10 million in 2020.
- How does United Kingdom rank for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- United Kingdom ranks 22nd out of 201 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, number of arrivals rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.